In the Hendon & Finchley Times (‘Hanging on a knife’s edge’, February 19), your lead story draws attention to the potential threat to the Flightways centre in Grahame Park, Colindale.

The Flightways centre has carried out invaluable work over the decades and Councillor Ellis Hillman made Flightways his charity. As Labour councillors, we have continued this contact with Flightways and have been most concerned about their future.

The charity Maxability says that it was told by Barnet Borough Council that it would have use of the centre until 2020. This now seems to be in question.

There would not appear to be any excuse for this uncertainty. The redevelopment of Grahame Park has long been planned, even though twists and turns in the council’s stance have caused confusion. If it really is the case that there is to be a ‘cash injection’ from the Government, it is not before time and this should mean that redevelopment should be easier to plan, not harder.

The council spokesman quoted by your newspaper implies that facilities for Maxability would come about as a result of a “new shared building with Grahame Park Library and Southgate College in Colindale”. Maxability has every right to expect explicit details of, and timings for, these plans.

Our experience is that Barnet nearly always seems to put the commercial interests before the collective interests of the community. We are not at all confident that it will change its ways.

With a government determined to reduce public expenditure, as a matter of dogma, and its disciples in Barnet only too happy to ‘experiment’ on its behalf, Maxibility and those members of the public enjoying its courses need and deserve assurances to the contrary.

Councillors Nagus Narenthira, Gill Sargeant and Zakia Zubairi

Lab/Colindale ward

Barnet Borough Council