LIBERAL Democrats in Solihull are celebrating after controversial proposals to move the Household Waste Recycling Centre to Damson Parkway were quashed.
However Council Leader Councillor Ian Courts (Con, Dorridge & Hockley Heath) said the proposal had only been an option put forward by officers and “this Conservative administration would not have touched it with a barge pole”.
He went on to accuse local Elmdon Lib Dems of deliberately scaremongering and creating a campaign on an issue that was never going to come to fruition.
The news was announced at Tuesday night’s full council meeting and comes with crucial local elections less than a month away.
“I was on the doorstep and was finding that a lot of misinformation had been given to people to feed a frenzy – it was scaremongering, drama for the sake of it.”
However it has done little to dampen the delight of the Lib Dems.
Elmdon candidate Richard Long said: “Liberal Democrats have been a voice for Elmdon residents against this inappropriate proposal since it was first mentioned in the draft local plan.
“We were accused of scaremongering repeatedly by the Conservatives and one of their candidates for the local elections described it as a ‘drivel campaign’, but we have persevered and were pleased to have given residents a voice on the issue.”
The proposal came to light when the borough’s draft local plan was published in October, with no prior notice to or consultation with ward councillors or residents.
Following the news local Lib Dems campaigned hard against the issue – rallying residents to respond to the local plan consultation, speaking out against it in council, and launching a petition signed by 1,490 residents.
Coun Laura McCarthy (Lib Dem, Elmdon) said: “It’s fantastic news, relocating of the Household Waste Recycling Centre to Damson Parkway was totally inapprporiate and I’m just so pleased that the Conservative administration have finally listened to us and residents.”
