Ipswich Tory leaflets have always read more like a fantasy
story than a document of facts and public information but this year they have
really gone out of their way to persuade the Ipswich public that they (the Ipswich
Tories ) do live in a world of self denial!
One of my proudest achievements is to have been part of a
Labour Council that is just completing one of the largest council house
building projects in a generation in Bader Close and my proudest personal achievement
as a councillor has been that I helped enable two roads of new Council houses
and flats in Whitehouse Estate be named after two Ipswich (and Whitehouse) soldiers
who lost their lives serving their country.
But if you read the latest Ipswich Tory leaflets you would
have thought we have not built a single home – the Ipswich Tories (make it up
as we go along) PR machine informs us;
“House building in Ipswich has stalled and more needs to be
done. Ipswich needs family homes yet this council is failing to provide them.
We would make building quality family homes – and the infrastructure
accompanying them – one of our top priorities.”
Fact is we would like to build more Council homes and see
developers start some large building projects – but we keep coming up against
barriers – and these obstacles have been placed in front of us by local Tories
from MPs ben Gummer and Dan Poulter to local Tory leader Nadia Cenci and a
combination of Tory Borough and County Councillors.
You could suggest ‘I would say that’ but unlike the Tory
leaflet I can back my views with facts.
Labour run Ipswich proposed and gained permission for a
large development of council houses at Ravenswood in South East Ipswich. Tory
Cllr Cenci called our decision in, they were not happy with the amount of
social housing – after her ‘call in’ was thrown out they then got Ben Gummer
the Tory MP to get Eric Pickles to call the Borough decision in – this was disappointing
but only to be expected as Mr Gummer looked for easy votes but what has been
disgraceful is that over a year later we are still waiting for this Tory Government
to tell us if we can or can’t start to build these much needed family homes. So
Cllr Cenci – your right house building has stalled but not because of a Labour
Council but because of the actions of you, Ben Gummer and Eric Pickles.
Then we have the Northern Fringe development, the original
plan was actually put through by the last Tory/Lib Dem administration – but they
needed help from us as 6 Tory Councillors voted against the plan as they wanted
NO HOMES built north of Valley Road.
But once we took back power in Ipswich the Tories (and Lib
Dems) have become slightly less keen on the building of a large estate in the
north of the town. Mr Gummer at first complained about the proposed location of
the cricket green! Since then he has written to many residents ( in the build
up to the election) stating why he could not support the proposed development.
Cllr Cenci went further and distributed an expensive leaflet (with her name on)
stating that the new build would see current residents have their commute to
work or leisure time increased, they asked for residents views that they would
then pass to to Borough Council. I filled in their consultation – but have
heard nothing back! Did they ever hand the consultation findings (13 months
ago) to the Borough? I ask as some may have seen the whole campaign as a way of
farming email addresses! I look forward to reading the results of their
consultation – after 56 weeks you would have thought it was ready for
publication.
Now I agree with the Tories, we need infrastructure to
support the Northern Fringe development but to bill for that must fall to the
developer, the TORY County Council and the TORY Government – you may have
spotted a theme here.
So have the Tories helped get that much needed
infrastructure – no! Dan Poulter MP, declared rather than a northern link road
we should just have a tunnel under the Orwell (along with the pie in the sky)
Mr Gummer has managed to gain funding for a road- but not the much needed
northern link road but for a (possible) Wet Dock Crossing. Which of those two
schemes (Northern link Road or Wet Dock crossing) would lead to the building of
much needed homes?
Then we have the housing development in East Ipswich – St Clement’s
– the local Tories wanted the application turned down and a park built instead!
Ready for a shock statement? IPSWICH TORIES ARE RIGHT! House
building has stalled in Ipswich – but the people who have helped stall it are
Tories – Ben Gummer, Nadia Cenci, Dan Poulter, John Carnall, Eric Pickles,
Robin Vickery, David Goldsmith, all take a bow you have helped deprive Ipswich residents of homes.
The leaflet also has a few other classics from Tory fantasy
land – it tells us congestion in the town has become unbearable – forgetting to
add that TORY run Suffolk has just wasted £20 million on ‘Travel Ipswich’ and
to finish the leaflet off and to pretend they are community minded – they have
a picture of the Whitehouse Skate Park – not surprising they forget to mention
it was built with help from funding by the local Area Committee – the same
committee they wanted to scrap!
If you want homes built for your families in Ipswich – Vote Labour
not for the ‘Stalling Tories’
