Important for councillors to have integrity

TWO things surprised me recently.

Firstly, Burger King, (home of the Whopper), encouraged people to eat at Mcdonald’s and, secondly, the latest “fake newspaper” from the Liberal Democrats on my ward accusing me and other Labour councillors of voting for 650 new houses to be built on East Carr and introducing a new “local champion” who is neither local to the ward nor has championed anything.

There has been no vote at all on the proposed development in

Sutton Ward, so it is a physical impossibility for anyone to have voted for it.

Both Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors did vote for a local plan in 2017. A plan which covered all sites in the city and which is needed so that councillors can actually have a say on what developments go where, if at all.

Without this plan, we are all powerless to stop developers doing as they please, and submitting standalone planning applications, which, without a plan, would be inevitably successful on appeal to Government. This fact did not prevent several Lib Dems from abstaining, effectively giving the green light to developers with no regard for local people.

Call me old fashioned, but I still think facts and the truth are important when you are representing the views of people.

Deceiving the public is the trick of the charlatan who will do anything to win without any regard for integrity.

For me, a “local champion” should be both local and have done things for local people for a long time, not just prior to an election. But then, that’s the Lib Dems, more whoppers than Burger King. Councillor Dave Craker, Labour Councillor for Sutton Ward, Hull City Council.