Lower Thames Crossing Pubilc Meeting

Labour candidate offers support to strong local group.

Residents' voice!

I was delighted to attend a public meeting at Orsett Village Hall on Friday evening (19^th July) at the request of Thurrock residents. I went along to hear local residents speak up about the government’s  proposals for a Lower Thames Crossing that could potentially see a motorway cutting through the heart of Orsett and other parts of the South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency. The residents were in large number  and made clear their opposition to Option C while taking the practical position of setting up a forum to formalise the way forward. Residents will also hold a march through the town at the beginning of August which they hope will get some press attention and promote the issue to a wider audience.

As Labour’s parliamentary candidate for the constituency I made my support for the residents clear and offered to take the forum’s concerns to a meeting with shadow Minister for Transport, Maria Eagle, that has been arranged for September to look at the wider transport issues for the region. I have arranged a meeting at DP World next week where I will also find out more about the impact that the new container port will have on the area.

Orsett residents are clearly organised and, although there was a strong feeling that the coalition government has already made up its mind regarding Option C, they definitely feel the need to express their views and I fully agree.  The democratic voice of the people is the main pillar of a society that values personal  freedom. Sadly for local citizens Option C is favoured by Tory run Essex and Kent County Councils.

I’ll leave residents to express their own views regarding ward councilor Mike Revell’s patronising advice to them on how to run a resident’s forum. Mr. Revell also made a lame attempt to play party politics and discredit Labour saying that the only way forward should be  through their Tory MP.  Party political slurs will not help the residents in any way and I felt that Mr. Revell would be happy to see the residents sleepwalk into an absolute disaster on their own doorstep.  Unfortunately their MP Stephen Metcalfe did not attend the meeting to hear his residents speak so Mr. Revell’s view on how to progress may be a little off the mark.

At Orsett Village Hall close to the path of Option C

Despite opposition from the ward councillor I remain at the service of all South Basildon and East Thurrock residents during my election campaign and hope the coalition government will listen to the resident of the constituency before a decision is made which is expected  later in the year.