We need to be brave to make radical change

THE Telegraph reports that Henley Green, Wood End and Bell Green are all in the top 5% of most deprived areas in England. Is the council proud of this?

A council spokesperson said “we are working really hard to tackle deprivation in Coventry” and “if there was a quick fix we’d do it.” However, this seems a rather poor excuse.

The Telegraph also reports that 36 new homes will be built on green land in Wood End which is normally exempt from development partly due to flooding. A council officer said there was a “unique set of circumstances” to approve the application because it is linked to a £25m regeneration of Riley Square in Bell Green. It certainly seems to be a unique set of circumstances which only the council understands.

There is no long-term strategy to improve the lives of people who already live in these areas. The council has also approved more student accommodation to be built on a residential street in Hillfields which is also in the top 5% of most deprived areas in England.

Around 26% of all private rented properties in Coventry are student accommodation but the city has one of the worst rates of homelessness in the UK. Many larger homes being built by developers are arguably not affordable because they are not for social rent but the council does not see fit to build its own housing to help tackle the issue.

Speaking about the new water park in the city centre, leader of the council George Duggins said “In times of austerity, we have taken a brave decision to invest over £30m into the Wave”. I suppose the leader of the council also thinks it was brave to invest £11m in Coombe Abbey hotel and a further £6.5m in the new Telegraph hotel.

Meanwhile, the council appears to have done nothing to help create office jobs in the city centre or provide suitable accommodation for homeless people.

The council thinks it has been brave in the face of Tory austerity but has failed to adequately invest in outer city areas and created a false economy in the city centre. Both Labour and the Tories have used austerity as a political tool by simply playing the blame game. We need radical change to reverse the damage that’s been done and rebalance the city’s economy and housing sector but I don’t think the council is brave enough to do it. Ian A. Rogers Coventry