A letter for this week

This weeks letter is in response to Cllr Spenceleys letter last week in the Herald newspaper.

Cllr Spenceleys letter


Dear Sir,
The bottom line is that Cllr Spenceley no longer lives in Harlow but for reasons no one else can fathom she thinks she can still serve the people of Staple Tye and collect her money (Blaze Actions, Herald 6th August 2009).
But she does the residents of Staple Tye a disservice by peddling falsehood and smear. All I can say is thank goodness for the Herald on-line: with a swift key stroke or two residents can know the truth about who is really working on their behalf.
In her letter Cllr Spenceley is suggesting I am abusing council expenses for the use of my mobile. But I make no apologies for spending just over £1.60 per day in serving the residents of Staple Tye.
As she well knows many people do not have landlines, and mobiles for many residents is the only form of contact. It also reflects the enormous work load I have; which has been made worse by the failure of Lib Dem councillors to return and/or respond effectively to residents’ concerns. I note that she is expecting residents to ring her in Cambridgeshire on her mobile at great personal expense.
Interestingly, Cllr Spenceley forgot to mention in her letter that she had claimed in total £300 more than me. Presumably some of that higher cost to taxpayers was due to the fact she cannot drive. I trust she is not expecting the people of Harlow to subsidise her trips from Ely? The residents of Staple Tye will be wondering how she proposes to do home visits or are residents expected to drive to Ely?
With regards to the Berecroft fire Cllr Spenceley has been badly misinformed.
Lib Dem Cllr John Strachan was indeed seen on the fringes of the estate but failed to come to the heart of the community. She also claims I am making it political? How can that be when the Labour MP and I are working closely together in order to get answers for residents?
Readers are welcome to look on www.berecroft.co.uk and view the notes of the meeting held last Monday whereby this was stated time and time again.
As for ward surgeries, it is her party that has requested the opening of the Staple Tye office at some cost to the taxpayer when we have the Latton Bush Centre at the heart of the community which is always open. Unlike Cllr Spenceley, I live in Staple Tye and visit residents when they want me. They don’t need to wait a month or drive to Ely.
As for her cheap shot over the Kirton affair she forgets that in England a man is innocent until proven guilty. She also forgets the harm her political point scoring might do to the family and victim. But the Lib Dems behaviour in this matter has spoken volumes about the kind of party they are. I suspect many of Cllr Spenceley’s colleagues will not be disappointed that she has moved on.
As for my non-attendance at the Maunds Hatch meeting that was due to another meeting; which in fact Cllr Spenceley should also have attended herself. But the facts remain that if her party had not spent all the money earmarked for the Maunds Hatch project it would have been rebuilt by now. The Lib Dems wilfully mislead residents over this.
As for Tory Cllr Sam Warren, Cllr Spenceley knows full well that she resigned a little over 60 days prior to the local elections, and under election law a by-election could not be held.
But that does not apply to Cllr Spenceley: she has nine months before next May and she has been aware of her impending move for some time, so will she do the honourable thing and resign or are Herald readers going to be subject to more smears and falsehoods?