My Letter to Harlow Star

This letter is my response to two councillors in last weeks Harlow Star.


Dear Sir,
Labour Councillor Tony Durcan has been a rare sight since May when his party was obliterated from Essex County Council and reduced to third place in Harlow. But he has surfaced to launch an attack on me in last week’s Star letters.
He accuses me of using the Berecroft fire as a party political opportunity, but it appears he is not only out of touch with Council matters, he is out of touch with his party, because the press release he is criticising was a joint release by MP Bill Rammell and me, who are working together to resolve this tragedy.
He then seizes the opportunity to embark on a rant covering parking, the Town Centre development and former Councillor Kirton. What all that has got to do with the Berecroft fire I don’t know, but I’ll answer him.
He has missed the point on the parking issue at our neighbourhood shopping centres. This is intended to improve parking for shoppers, with the first hour free, thereby increasing custom, because long-term parking is discouraged.
As he knows, the Town Centre development is at present in the consultation phase and of course Harlow Rennaisance will be speaking to any landowners affected by the final proposals and working with them.
He says he and his party have agreed to respect victims and refrain from making political points about the disgraced Councillor Kirton, but in the same breath he joins the Liberal Democrats in doing just that.
On the subject of Liberal Democrats, Councillor Strachan comments on the use I make of the Council supplied mobile ‘phone. As he will find out when he starts to get to grips with residents’ issues in Staple Tye, this ward has more problems than any other, so I make no excuse for the £1.60 per day I use in contacting them. If this was by post it would be just 4 letters a day. I am pleased Councillor Strachan is able to attend the Police NAP (Neighbourhood Action Panel) meetings. Unfortunately these are held on the same nights as my Council Committee, so I hope we will be able to work together on these non-party political issues.
The ward walk-abouts he mentions were on days when I was representing residents at Essex County Council, an equally important venue for their voices to be heard.
All this has arisen from Staple Tye’s Liberal Democrat Councillor Spenceley’s choice to move to Ely nine months before the next election, when she will not be eligible to stand. I think this is a genuine political issue of whether Staple Tye will now receive proper representation. Many think she should do the right thing and resign, as former Conservative Councillor Sam Warren did, and allow residents the chance to elect another Councillor. What can she possibly contribute from Ely in the next nine months?
Councillor Lee Dangerfield.