There are now 17 empty rooms in Leslie House. The Board of Social Responsibility of the Church could fill these rooms, thereby easing the bed-blocking situation in Fife. If the Board did not want to commit itself to the occupants, for other than a short period, the rooms could be let on a respite care basis.

In addition to easing the bed-blocking situation, the Board would realise income of at least £310 per week per room, thereby reducing its operating loss at Leslie House by over £5,000 per week (less the additional staffing costs).

There is insufficient permanent staff in Leslie House. As a consequence, the Board has to augment that staff by employing agency staff at a cost greater than that of permanent staff. In addition, the Board has to employ additional staff in its home in Arbroath, to cover for the staff from Arbroath, who have been seconded to Leslie House.

Since July, the Board has been employing a PR firm; notwithstanding that it has its own in-house publicity resource.

It is difficult to calculate exactly the current total additional costs, but bearing in mind that in April this year the Board was forecasting an annual operating deficit at Leslie House of £152,000, it would seem, taking the foregoing into consideration, that the net additional costs may amount to over £7.000 per week, i.e. over £350,000 per annum.

Most of this additional expenditure, which has to be met, not by the members of the Board of Social Responsibility, but by the honest hard working members of the Church, who put their donations in the collection plate on a Sunday, could have been avoided, if the Board had postponed its decision to close Leslie House and had worked with the Leslie House 21 Group to achieve the proper finding of the care of the elderly in Scotland. But it would not do so. Such is the extent of its arrogance. Such is the cost of that arrogance.

It is not too late for the Board to put its arrogance aside and work with the Leslie House 21 Group to the benefit of the Church, the people of Fife and the elderly throughout Scotland.