Marshalswick South Focus Team

Councillors, Rod Perks and Allan Witherick working with Andrew Duff MEP and Melvyn Teare for you Learn more

“Enough short-termism”, say Lib Dems

by awitherick on 2 January, 2012

St Albans Liberal Democrats have called in the decision of the cabinet to sell off the Ariston Site on Harpenden Road.  As a result there will be a full day scrutiny.

St Albans Judo Club is one of those at risk

Previously they wrote to the County Council to protest at the short-term planning behind the proposals to sell off County Council-owned land at the Ariston Works site (also known as the Old Fire Station site).

The unprecedented letter, signed by both County and District Councillors representing St Albans, criticises the Conservative County Council’s proposals for failing to take account of the impact on local groups currently based there, and goes on to accuse the County Council of chronic failure to prepare a coherent strategy for meeting school place demand in the District.

Allan Witherick, who represents St Albans North County Division which contains the Ariston Works site, said:

“My colleagues and I are united in opposing the sale, because we feel that the County Council has failed to demonstrate a long-term strategy for dealing with the long-term problem of school place demand in St Albans. We’ve had enough short-termism from the County Council – and this most recent proposal is all the worse for failing to make any provisions of the groups that currently use the site.”

“Local views differ on whether this site is suitable for a school, but what is clear is that it’s not suitable for sale right now – instead, it should be kept for the current groups to use until such time that the County Council can come up with the strategy we are asking for. We’re absolutely united on this, at both District and County level.”

The response from the Conservative controlled cabinet was unsatisfactory, leading to the “call in” which means it will now be discussed by the full scrutiny committee later this month.

   Leave a comment

Leave a Reply

You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>