Dear Editor,

WHILST I accept that it is the nature of both local and national politics that stories are sometimes “spun” for political advantage, I want to express my deep sadness that a Harlow Tory Councillor has resorted to blatantly misleading residents.

A recent Harlow Conservative party leaflet called “InTouch”, delivered to Staple Tye ward, made two claims that residents have said are simply untrue.

The first false claim in the leaflet was that the Tories were instrumental in the campaign to halt plans to replace the Town’s paddling pools with splash parks. But Martin Dear a Harlow resident has gone on record to say this is not true. In fact it was Martin who began the petition, it was over 1500 residents of Harlow who signed the petition and it was Martin who came to Council and argued so persuasively in the Chamber that brought about the change of heart. The only role the Conservatives had was to vote with Labour to agree to halt plans that has led to a public consultation about the way forward. Indeed both Cllr Johnson (Leader of the Tories) and I are on record at that meeting, thanking Martin for his work with the petition and the campaign.

The second false claim in the leaflet is that Harlow Tories have saved Great Parndon Library. The library campaign group SOLE have expressed amazement at this. The initial consultation to close the libraries was supported by Harlow’s four Tory County Councillors. They have voted against motions in County Hall to rule out the closure of libraries, they have not taken any of the many opportunities they had to speak out against the inclusion of closure in the consultation. In fact, as a final insult to the intelligence of residents, it is one of these Tory County Councillors, Michael Hardware, the author of this leaflet, who was instrumental in adding the idea of closure to the initial consultation. Cllr Hardware is also a prime mover of the subsequent plans to starve libraries of funding over the next three years, under the guise of being “community run”, that will almost certainly end in the closure of the libraries by stealth.

Unfortunately, although I am disappointed by Councillor Hardware’s actions I am not surprise. Residents will remember, I am sure, Cllr Hardware’s claims before the last elections that there were no cuts to school budgets. At the time he was a Governor of Passmores School and as such he would have had access to the financial information that made it clear that per pupil funding was indeed being cut.

Councillor Hardware has made a disgraceful attempt to airbrush the truth and mislead residents again. I call upon the Leader of Harlow Conservatives to restore some integrity to his party’s reputation in Harlow by acknowledging Councillor Hardware has behaved badly and by requiring him to make a full public apology for his blatant disregard of the truth.

Yours faithfully

Mark Ingall

Leader of Harlow Council