Monday, May 04, 2009

Can you see them all starting to distance from the disaster known as Coatham?

Hey, I had to laugh when I saw this comment from Ian Swales the Lib/Dem general election candidate in his column in the Focus flyer.

"Communities need green space. Our young people need space to play. Adults need places to exercise and walk their dogs... Official figures show that there will be 3,000 LESS people of working age in the Borough by 2021. Do we really need all these houses... or is it just a desperate dash for cash by our local Council?"

How can he say these things when Lib/Dem leader Chris Abbott, all through the old coalitions days in power, constantly stated that the population was increasing and that we needed more houses in Redcar, especially in Coatham, to accomodate all of these extra people? How many times did he say that Coatham Common was a dog toilet and said that it was only used by people walking their dogs and so as such, it should be used for housing? It would appear, perhaps because of a certain screening of our film in the House of Commons tomorrow, the Lib/Dems are starting to distance themselves from what they have been saying in the past.

It would also appear that other people are starting to distance themselves from the "disaster" known as Coatham Enclosure too. A short while ago I posted that we had it from a very good source that the PCT were pulling out of the Coatham Scheme and that the 5 GP surgery is no longer going to be part of the leisure centre.

You all remember the 5GP surgery surely?

This is the incredibly dodgy surgery that appeared from nowhere in November 2006, to become part of the Coatham planning application.

The surgery that had had no consultation whatsoever before it was added to the Coatham Planning application.

The surgery that councillors and the relevant council committees knew nothing about even though it had been added to the Coatham planning application?

The surgery that was denied by PCT manager Stephen Childs as definately being a part of the Coatham scheme even though it was part of the planning application.

The surgery that Stephen Childs denied had been agreed even though we exposed that that he had actually presented a report to the board of the PCT in the Summer of 2006 recommending that the 5GP surgery be added to the Coatham Plans.

The surgery that was being pushed by the ex-Chief Executive of the council whilst his wife Veronica was pushing it as a board member of the PCT. Something that leader of the council George Dunning said was and I quote "naughty" but did nothing about? Something that when we made it public, saw Veronica Moore suddenly resign her position on the board of the PCT?

The surgery that saw Stephen Childs tell over 100 people at a retrospective 'consultation' meeting in January 2007, that the surgery had been a speculative move by Persimmon Homes and an officer of the council that he refused to name ( something that wasn't even minuted )

Yes, Im sure that you remember this surgery.

Well...surprise surprise, Mr Stephen Childs, a man who's name has featured frequently throughout this whole episode of the Coatham disaster, is now no longer employed within the department of the PCT that was involved with all of the 5GP saga and guess what else? According to him last week, as far as he is aware, the 5GP surgery is no longer going to be a part of the Coatham Scheme. Well, Well...when you take into consideration that he was sent an invitation to the screening of the film at the House of Commons, which he has declined to attend, the timing of this information being given to us, is absolutely perfect.

Dont you think?

P.S, as a post script, Rachel has just reminded me of something. At the Coatham planning meeting, council officer Penny Furniss, told an aghast, packed audience, in order to try and justify the 5GP surgery being included without consultation and under extremely dubious circumstances, that the surgery was being included because " health is the new leisure". Now that the health centre looks as though it is no longer featuring, what is the new leisure Penny?

Housing?





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