Stop offering false hope on A120

2014-02-21 HMS
False hope, H&M Standard Fri 21.02.2014

Labour councillors have reacted angrily following Cllr Carlo Guglielmi being pictured on the front page of the latest Harwich and Manningtree Standard welcoming the news that the A120 could be dualled to Harwich within 5 years.

Having studied Essex County Council’s ‘Local Transport Plan’ Harwich’s Labour group does not believe there is anything within it to justify the claim and insists it is time that the Conservatives controlling Essex County Council and Tendring District Council stop offering false hope to the people of Harwich.

Leader of Harwich’s Labour Group, Ivan Henderson, says, “When I was Harwich’s MP I was told that it would take between 7 and 9 years from completing the design stage to reach the point when construction could begin and I am not aware of the Highways Agency having even started the design process. We want to know what this 5 year claim is based on.”

After reading the Standard’s front page article Ivan Henderson immediately contacted Essex County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Transport, Cllr Rodney Bass, who confirmed that there was no agreed funding, that he had no idea what the claim was based on and that he was not aware of a design brief having been drawn up by the Highways Agency.

“Local Labour councillors have been campaigning for improvements to the A120 for years and would be overjoyed if the claims made in last week’s Standard were true,” continued Ivan Henderson. “However, the people of Harwich have been let down too many times for us to believe this claim without evidence to back it up. Cllr Guglielmi must produce his evidence or explain this article.”UK_road_A120_800

For further information please contact

Ivan Henderson on 07889 367822