www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/leader-sefton-council-defends-plans-8401895
The article above is on the Echo web site.
But hang on a minute, what about the comments of Cllr. Dowd? Does it not read as though he is suggesting that he is only doing what Government dictates? Well yes it does, in my view, but back in October 2013 Cllr. Dowd was clearly singing a different tune when backing his own Party Leader Ed Miliband who was then pushing for a far greater number of houses to be built. Have a look at Southport GB web site:-
www.southportforums.com/southport/news_photo/Labour_reveals_plans_to_double_Green_Belt_building-52623302.htm
The important lines are – Sefton Council leader Peter Dowd has welcomed Ed Miliband’s plans to build one million houses over the five-year period between 2015 and 2020.
One Million houses in the UK in five years is 200,000 homes per year which means 1000 per year in Sefton Borough. This is Double the present controversial Sefton Council plans.
At the time Sefton, under its Labour rulers, was actually talking of just over 500 houses per year needing to be built in the Borough – Almost the same figure that the last Labour Government was imposing upon Sefton via its then Regional Spacial Strategy which the Coalition Government abolished. So in 2013 Labour nationally was talking of doubling the number of houses to be built in Sefton and their Labour Council Leader was seemingly agreeing. This would clearly have a huge and negative implication for Sefton’s Green Belt and its high grade agricultural land.
And where are we now? Sefton’s Labour-run Council is now promoting 615 houses per year to be built – did they fail to persuaded Sefton’s all powerful Planning Officers of the merits of pushing the figure up to 1,000 per year? Did Sefton Labour get cold feet over their big October 2013 plan? I suppose we will never know but to now try to play the card that the Government are making us do this is frankly ridiculous when they were promoting more house building, in the period 2015 to 2020, as their own policy only 15 months ago!
And don’t forget that Sefton Central Labour MP Bill Esterson has cut himself free from what his Labour colleagues are doing on the Council by coming out very much in opposition to what they are planning for.
More Labour Party positions than you can shake a stick at? It seems so and none of them driven by anything other than their own policy shifts.
Sadly our Green Belt and high grade agricultural land is done for under this Labour-run Council unless they sober up quick and join Bill Esterson MP, Sefton Lib Dems and non-party political environmental campaigners.