Here follows the official press release from Medway Libdems concerning the failed City Status bid by the Medway towns. It's late and I've been out all day so I'll write a commentary to it tomorrow with response to the inevitable News reports in tomorrows Medway Messenger.
PRESS RELEASE 14/03/2012
Already, Medway Conservative Councillors are blaming the LibDems for having snookered their bid for Medway City-Status. But with all the time; money; re-branding and propaganda the Conservative Council have invested in their efforts, and all the hours of involving highly paid council employees, it is difficult to believe that one brief letter from Medway LibDems to the DPM was responsible for the decision taken in awarding the status to Chelmsford and not Medway. LibDems now wonder what the cost to the Medway council tax payers will be in removing the City-Status branding and signage that the Council so arrogantly adopted many months ago.
Medway Conservative Council has previously bid unsuccessfully twice for Medway City Status. It seems that on this occasion they were completely sucked into their own propaganda. However, they will not take responsibility for their own folly, but instead would have it that (“a couple of Lib Dem activists” – Cllr. Jarrett’s words) have such significant influence over the DPM as to be able to successfully torpedo the Tory Council’s unwarranted aspirations.
We found during last year’s local election campaign that City Status for Medway was not popular with the electorate and had the Conservative Council researched the issue properly, and perhaps consulted more widely, they would have realised this and not pursued their quest any further.
We LibDems have said constantly that Medway was not yet ready for city status, with the regeneration of the towns nowhere near completed and the shopping centres still leaving much to be desired.
Tony Jeacock
(Chairman)
Medway Liberal Democrats
(.. for and on behalf of)
No comments:
Post a Comment