Tory Consultation " a sham"… Development Chairman should be sacked - Smith-Hughes

5.40.49pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 17th May 2005

Cllr. Tom Smith-Hughes, Right, with Lib Dem Peter Charman. "These fields could disappear under a sea of concrete"

Leader of the County Council Lib Dems, Cllr. Tom Smith-Hughes, has attacked the Conservative Borough Council planning consultation as a sham. This follows a statement by a leading Tory that ALL the new housing would be built in North East Chelmsford. That is, on the remaining green fields north of Springfield.

The statement was made by Broomfield's Cllr Ashford, Chairman of the Council's Development Policy Committee in an election leaflet. Cllr Smith-Hughes said, "He has made these claims before the public's representations to the consultations have even been completed let alone the Councillors having the chance to consider the options."

He went on, "This contradicts the Councils own Borough Life Newspaper which stated that the search for new housing would be in "locations to the North and East of Chelmsford".

Given that the Government is imposing these numbers of houses on us, the previous Lib Dem Council wanted a sustainable development to the east of Chelmsford with direct links to the A12 and a new railway station. A sustainable plan scrapped by the Conservatives.

CALL FOR SACKING

Cllr. Smith-Hughes added, "Clearly the Development Policy Chairman has misled the electors in a crude attempt to win votes where he was standing. He has no authority to make such statements and should be sacked."