Letter: London's victim of dogmatism

Sir: Many of us were disappointed that the London School of Economics was not able to purchase County Hall, none more than the directors of the school who had worked so hard to achieve this objective.

Perhaps the Secretary of State for the Environment, who was responsible for this decision, should look not only at the problems of the LSE, but also those of his own department.

We are told that the Government is committed to taking space at Canary Wharf. This space, with its high ceilings, was built for dealing floors and would certainly be suitable as lecture theatres, but massive adaptations would be required to accommodate government offices.

If the real cost, including the cost in terms of staff morale, of moving some 2,000 staff from Marsham Street, were calculated, and the opportunities available to extend the High Courts to Houghton Street were assessed, perhaps it would be a shrewd move to lease the committed space at Canary Wharf to the LSE at a rent that it could afford.

Yours,

ANTHONY MANNERS

London, SW14

28 September