The Tories and the ASRs

In an astonishing act of betrayal of all their promises and commitments, the Conservatives at the Full District Council Meeting on December 10th 2008 voted unanimously to give up all the Areas of Special Restraint (ASRs) - to give them up for house building.

Not one single Tory Councillor spoke against this recommendation and not one single Councillor showed any sign of opposition.

Now we all know that the Government at Westminster has powers to over-rule our local District Council and we all know that the Labour Government has commanded us to find more land for housing.

LIBERAL DEMOCRATS dislike this situation intensely and are most unhappy about these orders from Westminster, but we have not pretended that we could protect the ASRs when we knew that we could not.

The first stage of the decision to give up the ASRs was taken by the Tory Executive on November 25th so every Councillor knew what was coming. But the Tory 'in touch' leaflet, dated December 2008 proclaimed:

'Your Conservative Councillors are continuing their long crusade to save the green areas within the north-west by-pass from development. The recent proposal by central government for more houses to be built brings new and very big threats to our ASRs. Local Conservatives will continue to oppose these plans.'

Well, on December 10th there was no evidence at all of any opposition to building on the ASRs and not even a flicker of a crusade.