Harlow Labours’ candidate for next General Election sets out his vision for future
News / Fri 18th Aug 2023 at 12:01pm
IN our usual spot near the Greyhound car park, we have interviewed Chris Vince as a Little Parndon councillor and as the leader of Harlow Labour.
This is our first interview with Chris Vince since he was (overwhelmingly) elected as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Harlow and the villages.
We spoke to Mr Vince and asked what he thought were the challenges ahead between now and the General Election in 2024.
Mark
2023-08-18 12:22:51
I can't wait for a General Election, for Mr Vince to beat Robert Halfon, and for this Conservative government, who have looted the public to enrich themselves their families and their mates, to be gone.
Nicholas Taylor
2023-08-18 13:12:40
Cllr Vince's claim to listen to residents is one thing, but to do something as a result is another. On Wednesday evening three of his Labour councillors voted along with four Conservative councillors to demolish Sherards House and squeeze 14 homes on a site which is totally unsuitable for so many homes, despite dozens of genuine objections from residents. Locally there is very little difference between the Conservatives and Labour councillors, similar house building programmes, similar plans for the town centre and a poor service from the council as a whole. Nicholas Taylor, Leader of the Harlow Alliance Party
James Leppard
2023-08-18 14:27:03
Robert Halfon has been a first class MP for Harlow: • securing a new hospital; • securing the move of the UKHSA to Harlow, bringing many jobs; • establishing the Enterprise Zone; • obtaining £tens of millions to regenerate our much neglected town centre; • over £40 million to upgrade our school buildings; •over £25 million Harlow College and much more besides. He has helped thousands of residents, businesses and community groups and has fought for Harlow every day as MP for 13 years. He also fought two general elections in Harlow before he being elected. Contrast these achievements with those of the Labour candidate, who has applied to just about every other seat in Essex. He stood in Hertford and Stortford and Chelsmford. He applied unsuccessfully to Colchester and Southend. Does he seriously expect residents to believe that he genuinely wants to be MP for Harlow? He does not. He simply wants to be an MP and Harlow Labour have accepted him after many others had rejected him. He was a senior member part of the previous Labour administration which failed the town for almost a decade. He is currently leader of Harlow Labour, which, under his leadership, lost a council seat earlier this year and two last year at a time when Conservative councils up and down the country were being obliterated. The facts speak for themselves.
James Leppard
2023-08-18 14:37:33
Nicholas Taylor, I think you are being economic with the facts. At the previous Planning Committee, all members voted unanimously to defer the decision pending clarification of the several questions and objections raised. Each of these points were seriously addressed by officers ahead of this week's committee. I grant that no proposal will meet with complete satisfaction, but you cannot deny that all the points were dealt with. Furthermore, planning committee is not political and objections by councillors must be 'material' based upon planning laws and regulations and not on personal preferences or caprice. I suppose that you and the Alliance Party would prefer to expose the Council (ergo taxpayers) to highly costly judicial reviews that will be destined to fail.
DP
2023-08-18 14:45:47
I think someone is missing some more of Halfons achievements, supported law breaking (Boris), crashing the economy (Liz), supported a huge reduction of police officers which led to higher crime, sewage in rivers, supports permitted developments like terminus house. Also jumping the gun on the hospital, work was meant to have started years ago, currently no site and not a brick laid. He works hard for Halfon not Harlow and does what he’s told by his party.
Nicholas Taylor
2023-08-18 15:15:00
James Leppard, having worked for Harlow Council for some 30 years I do not remember any occasion when I felt so bad at how the Council is being run as I did when I left the meeting last Wednesday. I want a Council which listens to residents when they are making valid points, points which in the main were NOT addressed by officers. Mr Barnes pointed out that the proper steps in respect of the Planning Application had not been taken and if given a chance this could have been explained in more simple detail for you to understand. The access road will now be just 3 metres wide, like residents at every stage, no consultation took place with others involved such as the Highways Authority, I wonder how they feel with the latest plan? As I said on the night, the Council have learnt nothing from history, planting many trees close to houses and parking areas is a recipe for disaster in the long term. Finally, perhaps most galling of all, members did not pay a site visit to see the effect this over development will have on neighbouring properties. There were alternatives, this was simply a poor design which got changed so many times but still ended up a dogs dinner. As I said on the night, this is no way a council should be running it's planning service. I am afraid I do not know why you have mentioned Judicial Reviews, perhaps you can explain?
James Leppard
2023-08-18 15:25:11
Serveral Committee members did visit the site. I also arranged for Deputy Leader and Ward councillor, David Carter to visit the site with Mr Barnes. If a Planning Committee rejects an application without basis in Planning Law, the applicant can appeal the decision. I can assure you that Committee members sought clarification on all the points raised. As was pointed out at Committee, this site was approved for 15 new properties. The proposal approved was for 14.
James Leppard
2023-08-18 15:27:46
DP, for the sake of fairness, could you now provide a list of Mr. Vince's achievements for Harlow over the same period?
DP
2023-08-18 16:40:06
I was only adding to your list of achievements for Mr Halfon I could add a few more? I haven’t said anything about Mr Vince and certainly wasn’t trying to whitewash anyone’s record through selective achievements. Are you not happy with the fine ones that were listed?
Margaret
2023-08-18 16:48:49
The basic premise of British elections is not to elect a government directly but rather to elect the person to represent our district (constituency) in Parliament. This crucial link of binding an MP to a place, which doesn't exist in a number of other countries where candidates from party lists are elected to a parliament or assembly without any linkage to a place. This essential between British MPs and their constituencies and its residents is fundamental to the principle of representative democracy. It transcends party preference. We in Harlow have an MP in Robert Halfon who has served our town faithfully and devotedly. He deserves our continued support.
Hugo
2023-08-18 18:28:08
I think RH's "achievements' have been very down played by DP. I think it is worthy to add the way RH argued and advocated for a windfall tax against energy companies. He even argued that a windfall tax was not aniti-tory. He then failed to vote for a windfall tax when given the opportunity. Then there was the way RH supported "Integrity and Accountability at the highest levels of Government" by failing to vote for the suspension of Convict Boris. As for Chris Vince achievements, it is easy to find that he has often been out collecting rubbish. I suggest that Chris Vince putting rubbish in a bag has contributed greater to the wellness of Harlow than failing to get a promised hospital, failing to get the promised Health Authority, failing to vote for what he actually argued for. Robert Halfon has yet to clarify exactly he feels are "Mickey Mouse" degrees. Robert Halfon voted against same-sex marriage, but in 2019 he voted in favour of same-sex marriage, but only in Northern Ireland, which didn’t seem any more gay than the rest of the UK last time I looked. Halfon also voted remain in 2016, but then said he would vote leave in a second referendum, making him perhaps the only person, faced with the evidence of Brexit’s catastrophic failure and disastrous impact on Britain’s future prospects, to decide to support it having previously opposed it. Why does RH support reducing Britain's future prospects so much?
John
2023-08-18 19:26:38
Hopefully he will work for the people of Harlow, unlike MP Halfon who voted for the pollution of the river's and the sea
Tom
2023-08-18 20:14:04
So according to Hugo, collecting a few bags of rubbish (when the photo op is available) outweighs the years of service to Harlow and all the grant funding obtained for town centre Regeneration and the College, etc.? God help us! It seems the average IQ is falling proportionately with the increase in population. Very sad.
Dave
2023-08-18 20:27:12
6 'absolutelys' and 8 'you know'. Well if we know, why are you mentioning it. If you boiled this whole interview done to substance, there would not be enough water to cover a cabbage leaf. Nothing substantive, no clear policies. Total hot air and nonsense. Labour offers nothing but more woke stupidity. Why is Harlow being lumbered with Colchester's reject candidate?
gary roberts
2023-08-19 06:06:41
If the story of the Labour party back-tracking on employment rights is correct you have to ask: what is left? An empty vessel with only the Conservatives being absolutely disgusting to rely on to achieve an election win. It just suggests four or five more years of the same crap as the last thirteen. Mind you Cllr. Leppard appears to write as much nonsense as his mate and leader Halfon. For example all that money but his own constituents in Potter Street still has no health and well-being hub or local based council services or a local bus service. In respect of Cllr. Vince please stop repeating the same old script and actually show support for some radical policies as seen in the 2017 Labour party manifesto that would fundamentally improve the lives of the people of Harlow and that Starmer has filed in the bin.
James Leppard
2023-08-19 07:20:01
Gary Roberts, you were not present at the last Harlow Common Residents Association meeting, where it was announced that the new Community Garden Hub is being realised. I have worked hard with my Cabinet colleague Cllr Nicky Purse to ensure all planning obstacles have been overcome for this initiative. Furthermore, new landscaping is being undertaken at Prentice Place and at Larkswood, which will include new benches. Also, on a walkabout contacting residents in Chapel Fields, a complaint was made regarding a badly damaged pavement area which was causing great inconvenience to a disabled wheelchair bound person. I got this fixed within 10 days of reporting it. At the request of residents, I have also submitted a request for an extension of the 20 mph speed limit from Prentice Place southwards to the War Memorial. I helped residents raise a petition to assist their objections to the new Nisa store on Potter Street.
Alderman Durcan
2023-08-19 08:19:03
Excellent interview by Chris Vince who has the energy and enthusiasm that can bring about real change to Harlow and surrounding villages. Everyone is feed up with this government/council and we are completely lost in the lies and moral corruption that has poured out of them for years. Dare we mention PAH or the fact the council has not put two brick’s together to build anything in the last 2 years. Anyone who know Chris will know he is a honest hardworking councillor ,if we can transfer these skills he will make an effective champion for us all. Change is coming and leading that change is Chris Vince.
Kim Oconnor
2023-08-19 08:56:44
James Leppard,, being realised, is not good enough....you conservatives do not want to hear the truth...A couple of examples,,, the river stort valley,, ,completely ignored by residents,,,,bringing you up to date,,, the consultation for sherards House, the letter arriving on the day of consultation, frends of green party didn't even get letter....This council don't want to hear the people, and it will be there down fall.... Labour well , my opinion is, its not old Labour anymore, I see very little difference between them.. But at end of day, Labour carnt do any worse ,,can they ,,then this lot...
gary roberts
2023-08-19 09:07:20
Cllr. Leppard, will the community hub include medical provision and locally based council services? Will the council support it long term and help finance it? Will the local bus service be restored? All these services are vital for the Potter Street area. What will happen to Osler House and the former council neighbourhood office?
Tom Compton
2023-08-19 09:34:35
Can Alderman Durcan inform us how many candidates there were at the selection for Parliamentary candidate? This is important as we know that Chris Vince was rejected in other constituencies, so Harlow was clearly not his first choice. I would hate to think that he was appointed as nobody else wanted him and no other candidates were interested in representing Harlow. Wouldn't look too good, would it?
Tom Compton
2023-08-19 09:41:25
Gary Roberts you mentioned that Labour should relaunch the manifesto of 2017. Seeing as Labour got obliterated in that election led by the ever charismatic Jeremy Corbyn, would it not be better to perhaps adopt Stalin’s doctrine of the monolithic party of 1929 and relaunch the Bolshevik Revolution.
Tom Compton
2023-08-19 09:42:07
Gary Roberts you mentioned that Labour should relaunch the manifesto of 2017. Seeing as Labour got obliterated in that election led by the ever charismatic Jeremy Corbyn, would it not be better to perhaps adopt Stalin’s doctrine of the monolithic party of 1929 and relaunch the Bolshevik Revolution.
Barry
2023-08-19 10:19:45
Labour and Chris Vince have no policies. In the interview, nothing specific is stated and a glaring omission regarding dealing with illegal boat crossings. We all know Labour will never do anything to stop this abuse of British taxpayers. When the Home Office proposed housing hundreds of migrants in the new Wych Elm development, Robert Halfon intervened energetically to stop this, supporting the views and interests of decent Harlow residents. What did Labour and Chris Vince do? NOTHING!
Gary Roberts
2023-08-19 12:11:07
Mr. Compton, at the 2017 election the Labour party did not get obliterated as I am sure you know. Indeed they nearly won against a money tree leader who gave 1 billion to DUP to keep them in office.
James Leppard
2023-08-19 15:15:05
Gary Roberts on the same unworkable and economically unviable far left programme compounded by a pusillanimous and dishonest approach to Brexit, I think you will agree that they were fairly obliterated in 2019. Now we have a Starmer led party with no policies whilst he is still struggling to define what a woman is!
Gary Roberts
2023-08-19 15:46:06
Cllr. Leppard, I hold no brief for the Labour party so they can address your comments on the 2019 election. Mind you your party has demeaned the office of PM and indeed government since 2019. Now can you answer my questions as set in an earlier post on Potter Street.
Alderman Durcan
2023-08-19 16:26:04
Tom,I can’t confirm how many applied but the Labour Party shortlisted 3.
Tom
2023-08-19 23:04:55
Thank you, Alderman Durcan. Well having been rejected on Southend and Colchester, the other two must have been total basket cases for Chris Vince to have been selected. You have to admit that Labour is not serious about contesting Harlow.
Pedro
2023-08-20 01:16:41
Rejected in Southend Rejected in Colchester Rejected as PCC in recent elections, seems Mr Vince should stick to his photo opportunities litter picking
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