The SCABs & Wells try to save Hart Ward for Labour.............

[mk1]

Mail today:








CONTROVERSIAL plans to create two gypsy and traveller sites at Hart look set to be scrapped in a major U-turn. Village leaders welcomed the news after Hartlepool Labour Group announced a bid to kick out the Hartlepool Local Plan.     The plan, created by the previous council administration under Mayor Stuart Drummond, aims to guide major  development decisions in the  town for the next 15 years.  But council leader Christopher Akers-Belcher says it   does not represent the wishes of residents particularly over  gypsy and traveller provision.
And a huge 2,750 housing development next to the Fens and Oton Manor estates,  known as the South Western extension, could also be reviewed. Hartlepool Labour Group, which holds a council majority of 14, will put forward a resolution at the next meeting of the full council to withdraw the Hartlepool Local Plan, The move would not only see the plans to set up gypsy   and traveller sites at Hart village scrapped but the motion says the council should relook at whether any site in town should be set aside for   such use. Labour group leader Christopher Akers-Belcher, said: "l have spoken with my Labour colleagues in the Hart Ward, Councillor Paul Beck and Councillor Jean Robinson. I have listened to their concerns regarding the proposed gypsy and traveller site  and agreed we must revisit  this element of the local plan I in respect of both need an demand to determine if any site should be designated within the borough."
Coun Akers-Belcher has  also met with the Fens Residents Association which has  been lighting against the  South Western Extension on  their doorsteps for he last three years.  He said withdrawing the  plan will let the council review the future housing provision for the whole town  which may lead to a review of  the whole development. Coun Akers-Belcher added: "We cannot and will not adopt a local plan that has become i divisive rather than cohesive for our town.   ACTION: COUI1 Chrisl
"lf we are to deliver on our pledge that the new model of
Governance will make robust
decisions that chime with the public and partner expectations of good quality local government we must act now towithdraw the local plan and
this will reflect the trust communities have placed in us.
"Further to this I would urge all councillors to support this proactive move for the benefit of Hartlepool."
Coun Akers-Belcher said the council would consider
the recommendations of Government planning inspector
Kevin Ward who finished a public examination of the current plan last week.
But he said the council is legally entitled to withdraw the
ocal plan at any time before it is officially adopted.
Hart ward Labour Councillor Paul Beck said: "I'm
absolutely delighted that the Labour groug has decided to try and redo at the plan.
"What was suggested would blight the whole Hart ward.
At the end of the day this is a village that relies heavily on tourism and anybody coming to visit would be astounded if this was allowed to happen."
The news was welcomed by opponents of the gypsy
and  Western extension
plans.
John Littlefair, chairman of Hart Parish Council, said:
"If what I hear is correct I'm very pleased about it.
"lt has caused a lot of anxiety and upset with people who are rightly concerned about
it. I just hope next time that a lot more thought is put into it and there is a lot more consultation."
Robert Smith, vice chairman of the Fens Residents'
Association, said: "If the move succeeds it is good news for the town.
"Developers say they have got to be ready for an economic upturn but the jobs likely to be created would not be people looking for executive housing unless we get a lot of companies where there are more chiefs than Indians."
The motion will go before the full council on Thursday,
October 17.

[Stevef]

Please tell me those photos were the ones used by the mail

[#Worried]

So... Akers belcher has called for votes to throw out the local plan so the gypsy site can be scrapped - because of the concerns of Jean Robinson and Paul Beck!!???    so concerned that they weren't "allowed" to stand up for residents at the call in! The same Jean who admitted she had not even read the documents!

Don't get me wrong, as a resident I am happy not to have the site and I hope that the work put in by the residents and the Parish Council went some way to effect the outcome but how PB has the nerve to stand for that photo is beyond belief!

Not to mention how many man hours and public money has been wasted by a cash strapped authority who are cutting costs left, right and centre.

This article is bitter sweet.  I hope they are not too deluded to realise that people do not have short memories and their actions will be reflected on a ballot sheet.

[clavering codhead]

They bottled it because they knew they would of been exposed as idiots for picking them sites.

[Lord Elpus]

For all I'll be glad to see the end of the suggestion that Hart is the G&T site, but this has nowt to do with Calamity Chris seeing the light, in my opinion he could not care less about Hart or Beck and even less Robinson.

It has more to do with a planning application for 600+ houses at Wynyard and the need to get that through.  The current application goes against the proposed local plan.  I'm not suggestion there is anything involving buff envelopes, the very idea would be ridiculous.

[The Great Dictator]

I'll be complaining to Pickles and the Human Rights Dept. for blatant racism. The council cannot just decide to NOT accommodate then, it says so in EU....

[DRiddle]

I wonder how long it will be before The Mail suffers some sort of 'technical problem' and all of these comments are mysteriously lost forever, like the 40 odd that were posted on the other story about the gypsy site.

http://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/news/local/gypsy-sites-set-to-be-scrapped-1-6116732#comments-area

[Lord Elpus]

David, these comments in the Mail are from a handful of chair throwing extremists.  Everyone loves Steve (he's so handsome in his robes).

I sense the SCABS biggest problem is keeping his group happy, if a bookie was offering odds the the SCABS get shafted by their own group I'd be placing a £10 note on it.

Simple fact is this is not leadership, its making it up as you go along.

[grim reaper]

'making it up as you go along'.  Lord Elpus is right, they do.
What a pair of absolute jokers. Toytown clowns.
At the Hart meeting the clown stated they HAD to have a site in Hartlepool..E.U. law dictated. Now he says they can simply say we are not having a site.     Making it up as he goes along.

But isn't that what labour are all about, making it up as you go along? 
Look at labour central govt. as was;
sold our gold at rock bottom price;
gave the bankers carte blanche by introducing the control by a "light touch"; Blair/Campbell with their lies on Saddam and his WMD reaching us in 45 minutes;
doctors released from working after hours and weekends and at the same time given massive wage rise!;
open door policy to whoever across the world..just to snub the tories;
the start of closing down local hospitals across the country and introducing consolidation...the list goes on and on.

Making it up as they went along...just like our so-called MP.
Telling us whatever we want to hear and then following his party line.
Anything to keep his nose in the Westminster trough and bugger his Hartlepool constituents.

Does anyone know the answer to remove this stinking morass from our doorstep?
How do we remove such a blight on the future of our children?
Or is it going to be like the Manor Ward vote...more of the same?
How DO we vote to rid the town of these imbeciles and give our town, our children, a chance? 
Jeeez, I really despair at times.

[Lord Elpus]

Following on from the Grim Reaper, most Council Leaders base their action on central government  policy an have always taken advice from experienced senior Officers.

In the case of the SCABS/Mad Dog cabal they actually believe they know better than Officers , Also confidence works both ways, Councillors need to have faith in their Officers and visa versa.  One only has to have attended a few key meetings to realise that some key Officers have had lost faith in the current cabal.

Things will probably get worse as the Cabal holds on to power, hence my belief that there will be a take over from within, even the SCABS?Mad Dog can see that coming.

[brassed off monkey]

I have it on good authority that the single yellow lines & new signs limiting parking at the top end of Westbrooke Ave, between 10-12 & 12-2 on Saturday & Sunday were at the specific behest of "The Dear Leader & His Consort..... They just happen to live opposite the entrance to the Rec

[Jeff]

Well what do you know..... my comment on the mail site only lasted 12 hours.   Getting a bit sick of this censorship!

[norfolkngoode]

Have I got it wrong, or have I missed someting?.........
The council knew they didnt have to go through with this whole traveller site thing from the start?
That begs the question, why have the bothered with the process in the first place?....
Surely they must have known the trouble and upset it would cause the people affected......
What has brought on this sudden change of mind? An appreciation of the effect it would have on the local population,  or massive loss of Labour support around the town?

[Jeff]

the latter ...in my opinion

[rabbit]

Well the council WILL have to provide a recommendation for a Gypsy/Travellers` site.

They will also have to arrange for over 200 new houses to be built each year.

The council would not be so foolish as to just scrap the Local Plan. The existing one which they follow at the moment was adopted in 2006. The new one which they are intending to throw out has been worked on for several years and is complex.

Only part of the Plan refers to housing provision, and only part to Gypsy site provision.The rest deals with numerous other matters of local concern.

The effort so far in drafting the Plan must have been very costly in man hours and effort, and to just say "kick it out" is ridiculous.

It would be better to say that the council have temporarily withdrawn their submission to the Inspector while a number of minor changes are made to the Plan.

Perhaps that would be more of a face-saver than the Inspector "sending his pupils back home to rewrite their homework".