“Is Labour telling the truth about the Harlow Local Plan?” asks Tory candidate
News / Wed 25th Apr 2018 am30 09:46am
Is Labour Telling the Truth about the Harlow Local Plan?
Cllr Mike Hardware, Conservative candidate for Staple Tye, has challenged Labour over claims about the Harlow Local Plan it has made in the Harlow Star (18 April) and its newspaper.
The Labour Party claims that “Under Labour, 30% of the 16,000 new Harlow homes will be affordable,” and that these homes will be “council-owned and operated by HTS Group”.
“These claims are misleading,” explained Cllr Hardware. “Labour is building up false hopes for people in Harlow, especially the younger generations, who want to get on the housing ladder or are on the housing list.
“The 16,000 figure is wrong as Labour has only approved 9,200 homes in Harlow, the remainder are in Epping and East Herts. This means only 2,760 affordable homes, not the 4,800 suggested by Labour.
“The 30% affordable claim is also inaccurate; it is a target not an absolute. As Labour well knows, viability calculations can often mean a lower figure, so we are actually looking at up to 2,760 affordable homes, but probably a lot less.”
The claim that these affordable homes will be council-owned is also disputed. Cllr Hardware continued: “Perhaps Labour could detail the location and developers they have reached agreement with to sell these homes to the council.”
Harlow Labour previously claimed that the local plan would be subject to a “rigorous consultation process” allowing residents “to take part in shaping the detail” of the plan. “This is utter rubbish,” said Cllr Hardware, “the upcoming consultation on the local plan is about the process not the content.
“The consultation on the content was back in 2014, but due to Labour’s lack of trust of Harlow residents, it was not publicized adequately and subsequently only 126 responses were received. Epping received over 3,000 responses at the same stage in its consultation, but it actively encouraging residents to participate.”
Cllr Hardware added: “Is this the ‘different kind of politics’ promised by the Labour leader?
“Not only is Labour misleading Harlow residents about the local plan, they are even trying to take the credit for the efforts of others. Public Health England and the Enterprise Zone coming to Harlow were as a result of the sterling efforts of our Conservative MP, Rob Halfon,”
JerryFromQueens
2018-04-25 11:32:13
Ha! What about the Tories misleading the public about the Windrush scandal? Wait and see, there will indeed be a rigorous process with regard to the Local Plan. This feeds into the Tory rhetoric for the local elections, negativity, negativity and negativity with a side order of, oh. Negativity. It didn't work at the GE 2017 but they will keep on sinking in the same ship again and again. I'm surprised Bob had time to do anything what with all his time taken up with voting against LGBT+ legislation and voting for the public sector pay freeze. But maybe he wants a country where our hardworking firefighters, nurses and police officers go to food banks and take out payday loans to get them through.
tenpin
2018-04-25 12:29:17
More crocodile tears from the Conservative party, who have let the lack of public consultation by the Labour group during the last three years go by without any challenge. I would remind your readers that it is only the Harlow Alliance Party that has raised this issue, indeed it is at the heart of why the Party has been formed. Some 991 individuals and organisations have formally commented about the Epping Forest District Council Local Plan, including our party. Cllr Hardware is correct in his statement about these 16000 new homes, indeed even those that will be built on Council land may not remain in Council ownership, evidenced by the public consultation that has taken place at two sites, namely St Andres Meadow and Bushey Croft. As for the earlier contributor, dodging the issue as usual, two wrongs do not make a right.
MickyB77
2018-04-25 16:21:42
Usual clap trap from boring boring jfq. The land of fantasy. Show me some proof of the accusations you've made, re our police etc, taking out payday loans and food bank assistance. LGBT ? I do believe that you think it's compulsory ! Disgraceful creature. VOTE LABOUR of momentumless at your PERIL.
JerryFromQueens
2018-04-25 17:00:22
Oh boy. Remember the respect pledge, Micky... You can Google everything I've been saying. And unless that was some obscure way of asking me out, I don't think LGBT+ is "compulsory". What does that even mean?! I'm a "disgraceful creature"! And to think, some said I'd never amount to anything.
MickyB77
2018-04-26 06:50:16
How's about you show proof of your fanciful accusations. Typical of the ilk, throw a few crass remarks into the spiel and ignore the question. The REDS operate this system, get asked a question, and then, groan on about something completely alien to the subject. PROOF is wanted. Same as the Bliar years, past masters of obfuscation and duplicity. Ask yourself voters, could you really trust these people with your future ? VOTE LABOUR of MOMENTUM at your PERIL
JerryFromQueens
2018-04-26 09:26:33
"You went the full Micky. Never go the full Micky". I think you know how to use Google, I never link things because I think it makes comments look rather untidy. 100,000 deaths linked to austerity, people dying on trollies in hospital corridors, public sector pay freeze, kids going to school hungry to be taught in substandard classrooms, hate crime up, homelessness up, stabbings up, child poverty up. We've had enough of the Tories. Time for something new and improved.
MickyB77
2018-04-26 10:30:39
Answer the question and stop making excuses. You wont, because you cant. More trash in your last paragraph, as usual. Show us proof ! I note that none of your lefty friends are backing you up ! A pure fantasist. Would you have jfq on your council ? All his comments and asides are false. True to form for the REDS. VOTE LABOUR at YOUR PERIL
JerryFromQueens
2018-04-26 11:20:30
Respect, Micky, remember the pledge! Well actually I was crediting you with the ability to use a search engine. But if you don't want me to that's okay. It's all there for you to see, use the search bar at the top. You really are rather obsessed with me aren't you, I can't say as I blame you though. But I have a feeling you're not really my type. Trying to let you down gently here.
JerryFromQueens
2018-04-26 17:16:27
But imma take pity on you. Deaths linked to austerity https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/tory-austerity-deaths-study-report-people-die-social-care-government-policy-a8057306.html People dying on trollies https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/worcestershire-hospital-patients-die-trolleys-a-and-e-nhs-crisis-a7513546.html Public sector pay freeze https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/public-sector-pay-cap-nhs-staff-real-incomes-cut-government-wage-freeze-gmb-union-a7959806.html Kids filling their pockets with school food http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-43611527 Substandard classrooms https://www.nasuwt.org.uk/article-listing/too-many-teachers-taught-in-sub-standard-schools.html Hate crime up http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41648865 Homelessness up https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jan/25/rough-sleeper-numbers-in-england-rise-for-seventh-year-running Stabbings up https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/london-stabbings-knife-crime-deaths-murders-three-days-teenagers-statistics-a8281756.html Child poverty up https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jan/24/most-children-in-uks-poorest-areas-now-growing-up-in-poverty So that's that then.
Brett Hawksbee
2018-04-26 18:13:38
I quite understand cllr(currently) Hardware's concern that our Labour Council may not be telling the truth. It is so rare in his own party, that his default presumption is that he is being lied to by those in other parties. Take the hilarious 'Harlow Sun'. I was utterly convinced that it was the newspaper version of radio four's 'The Unbelievable Truth' where four truthful statements are 'slipped in' amongst a host of outright lies. I spent ages looking for the four truthful statements, before deciding I must have misunderstood the purpose of the Tory missive. I have it right at last, and my budgie can happily s**t on a choice of smug Tory faces, to his heart's content.
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