There was an interesting article in the evening echo from the leader of Southend Council Nigel Holdcroft claiming that Southend was likely to losse out in Sea Change funding for the regeneration of the Pier as the funding was likely to be channeled into constituencies in the North of England.
Cllr Holdcroft is right to make these assertions but what was interesting is that only Margate has a Conservative MP (Roger Gale who represents Thanet North covers Margate).
This the only recent Government allocation of funding which has gone dispraportionately to Labour constituencies. Recently the Government controlled Network Rail earmarked £50 million to upgrade or redevelop railway stations. The luck winners were as follows:
Manchester Victoria – Tony Lloyd LABOUR
Clapham Junction – Martin Linton LABOUR
Barking – Margaret Hodge LABOUR
Warrington Bank Quay – Helen Southworth LABOUR
Preston – Mark Hendrick LABOUR
Wigan North Western – Neil Turner LABOUR
Luton - Margaret Moran LABOUR
Liverpool Central – Louise Ellman LABOUR
Stockport – Ann Coffey LABOUR
Crewe – Edward Timpson CONSERVATIVE
Again, the token Conservative constituency on this occasion is Crewe. This Government is now so brazen it will resort to using taxpayers money to try and buy votes at the next General Election. Sadly for Gordon, after 13 years the public have become wise to these games.
3 comments:
I think I'm right in saying that Margate, which you admit is a Conservative seat, and St Ives which is safe Lib Dem (which you forget about), got about as much money as all the other successful bids that you list put together.
It's really easy to pass the buck onto the government, but the fact is that the pier has been the responsibility of your Conservative administration for around ten years, and where are we?
Meant to say that Margate and St Ives are as much as the other Sea Change grants put together, not the railway improvements you list.
On the railway issue, how many large towns with seriously rundown railway stations have Conservative MPs? If you think that £50mn investment in major stations is justified, you have to accept that they will be mostly in Labour areas.
Ian
It doesn't matter what pot of money it is from it is blatent elctioneering.
If this Government was serious about heritage in this country Southend would have been awarded the sea change money as it was most argubly the most iconic worldwide structure on the shortlist
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