Letter to Editor: Unauthorised encampment shows what happens when Harlow Labour run the Council
Politics / Thu 6th Apr 2023 at 09:21am
Dear Editor,
RE: The Unauthorised Encampment shows what happens when Harlow Labour run the Council
Let’s be under no illusion, the reason there is an unauthorised encampment in the middle of the town, is because Harlow no longer has an injunction to stop them. And the reason Harlow no longer has an injunction to stop them, is because the old Labour Council decided in 2020 not to renew it.
It speaks very much to Harlow Labour’s record in running Harlow Council that the injunction that was so hard fought to be granted, was not renewed at the first time of asking.
However, it is a timely reminder to residents of the risk that the Harlow Labour group pose if they were ever allowed back in to run the Council.
Their record of failure was clear:
- Increased Harlow Council Tax every year.
- Named in 2021 as the worst Council in Essex at paying out Government grants to local businesses during the pandemic.
- In 2020, they lost a £10.4 million Government investment into the town centre because their bid did not show “value for money to the taxpayer”.
- Had to pay £3.5 million back to the Government because they failed to used the money to build any Council housing.
- Allowed our great town to decline year on year with no progress on regeneration.
Harlow Labour couldn’t run a bath, let alone a Council.
Yours,
Dan Swords
Daniel Long
2023-04-06 10:05:04
Not that the Tories will be getting my vote in the up and coming local elections. But well said Dan.
gary roberts
2023-04-06 10:09:39
Cllr. Swords you may be young and taking up the BS and warm words from your mentor Robert Halfon, but really grow some and then rewrite your article. It pushes the envelope of believable beyond even the confines of Johnson, Truss and Sunak. And that is low on any scale of nonsense. It must be election time with the prospect of the lowest turnout seen in Harlow for decades, if ever, given the introduction of photo ID by your national disgusting government!
David Forman
2023-04-06 10:13:53
The last Labour administration did not pursue another injunction because Bromley council failed to get one, even failing at the Court of Appeal. There was no prospect of getting an injunction. An article says: "Upholding the refusal, the Court of Appeal found that borough-wide injunctions are ‘inherently problematic’ and that they potentially breach both the European Convention on Human Rights and the Equality Act 2010. The Court further recognised the right of gypsies and travellers to move from one place to another". So not Labour's fault as the Tories know only too well. See: https://www.thejusticegap.com/anti-traveller-injunctions-potentially-in-breach-of-human-rights/
Kim Oconnor
2023-04-06 10:15:11
Dan swords. It Didn't stop your party adopting there polices, in the destruction of the River stort valley, which your party could of stopped. How many council houses have your party built since you've been in..???? The Gilston project s, how many affordable housing was we promised,, oh yeah, 40% and oh yeah how many we getting, ,23% . We have 5,000 on waiting list. How many council houses have you built.?? How many pot holes have you fixed. How many cycle tracks been fixed??? How many home repairs?? My toilet needing new system, last week they came and put new ball cock 😂 so no proper repairs being done, short cuts all the way Your wonderful regeneration, leveling up,, is what your party is all about, while the rest of Harlow crumble s. Fix the real problems here first. 7 new unaffordable housing estates, around our wet lands, may benift you councils and developers, and government, but does very little to help the people of Harlow. I don't know many who live here, who wants a 15 minute city, that does not benift Harlow people, how ever I do know thousands of people who voted against this monstrosity, but our voices weren't heard.. it's the same up and down this country, your party have no interest in public options. We have to get back to listening to local people and local issues. This isn't happening with conservatives.
David Forman
2023-04-06 10:30:29
Harlow Council were involved with Bromley Council's failed appeal as my Question to full council of 19 Feb 2020 states clearly: "On 3 December last year Harlow District Council, along with three other local authorities, acted as Fourth Intervener in the unsuccessful appeal by Bromley Borough Council to overturn a High Court ruling not to grant a borough-wide injunction (case cited as 'The Mayor and Burgesses of the London Borough of Bromley v Persons Unknown [2020] EWCA Civ 12')."
Richard Adams
2023-04-06 10:59:05
David Foreman is correct here, Harlow Council did pursue a further injunction but withdraw it after legal advice following the Bromley case that it would not succeed. Why hasn’t the Conservative administration in the last two years not sought an injunction? Probably because they knew it would not succeed. There is a lot of legislation that is available to move on unauthorised encampments, let’s see if this conservative council has any success. I know it’s election time but engage the brain Councillor Swords before trying to blame Labour for every thing.
Nicholas Taylor
2023-04-06 12:48:29
Richard Adams, has saved from doing a longer post. It is a shame that Councillors do not deal in facts.
Cllr James Griggs (Lab)
2023-04-06 16:33:39
Wholly unpleasant and disingenuous nonsense from Dan Swords. You’d hope he’d know better but clearly still has much to learn. Ah well, it’s election time isn’t it, can’t let a small matter like facts get in the way of some cheap shots of utter rubbish can he?
Francis Dean
2023-04-06 17:11:04
Pitiful effort Dan. How can you have been so high up in the Tory administration without doing your homework?
Adam Taylor
2023-04-06 19:20:49
Why would they want facts when they can play politics this is the same on both parties. On may the 4th vote them out
10 Comments for Letter to Editor: Unauthorised encampment shows what happens when Harlow Labour run the Council: