Saturday, March 25, 2006

Labour says “no” to letting residents decide future of homes

LIBERAL Democrat campaigners in Bensham are astonished at Labour’s refusal to let local people vote on plans to demolish 440 homes in Bensham and Saltwell.

Leading the call for people power were Lib Dem Action Team members Norman Spours and Susan Craig.

"Now that proposals have been developed for demolition and new house building, it makes sense to ask residents to make clear their views on the package of proposals," said Susan.

"We therefore called for a referendum in the affected areas, but Labour councillors voted this down and said local residents should not be allowed to have the final say about what happens in their own streets".

How the Lib Dem plans will work:

All residents in the affected area will be entitled to a vote

Results to be counted and reported for predefined zones made up of several adjacent blocks grouped by the type of action proposed (eg demolition, renovation)

Where the majority of respondents in a "zone" are opposed to the proposals, there should be further consultation in that zone with a view to finding a more acceptable package of proposals.

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