Letter: Welcome for LSE's proposed purchase of County Hall

Sir: Your leading article on the London School of Economics' bid for County Hall ('The LSE's ideal home', 6 August) was right to point out the public preference for this historic building to become the home of this prestigious institution rather than be stripped out and turned into an expensive and inaccessible hotel. The LSE is overcrowded and needs more space; London's hotels are not full and we don't need another.

As the local MP, I'm pleased to stress that the Waterloo area is not just a piece of over-developed real estate but also a thriving community. Members of this community have welcomed the LSE's proposal. Support comes from residents, community groups and the police, from shopkeepers, small businesses and street traders, as well as the large employers on the South Bank.

The London Residuary Body, having effectively had its responsibility for determining the future of the building removed by Government to take account of public interest, is petulantly denigrating the LSE bid in a sorry attempt to reassert its lost authority. I'm confident that the Secretary of State will instead see the new proposal for what it is - good value for money, a way of preserving a historic and listed building for public use and good old-fashioned common sense.

Yours sincerely,

KATE HOEY

MP for Vauxhall (Lab)

House of Commons

London, SW1

6 August