At the full council meeting on Monday 19 February 2018, and online on their social media accounts, the ruling Labour group on Redditch Borough Council has yet again announced £5m funding for the town centre, that was already announced in March 2017, as part of a package put together by the Conservative government to boost the economy as part of the ‘Midlands Engine’ strategy.
Mike Rouse, the Conservative candidate in Church Hill ward at May’s elections was in the public gallery at Monday’s meeting and said:
“The Labour councillors heavily criticised central government for cuts but have been sat on £5m for over a year that could have been used to revitalise our town centre, which the independent Brendan Nevin paper makes clear needs to happen and fast.”
Mike added: “The Nevin paper says that we need to have a ‘step change’ in growth and productivity here in Redditch if we are going to make a contribution to the overall prosperity of the Midlands. It makes for stark reading, but we must listen to independent experts who are trying to help us.”
Councillor Juliet Brunner, group leader for the Conservatives, added: “This £5m was part of a £17.5m package that was put together by the Conservative government into the local enterprise partnerships to invest in the local economy. To get the money we need to submit a business case that provides details about what we’re going to spend the money on.”
“When I pressed officers at the council to tell me when we would be ready to submit the business all I was told was ‘some point before the end of 2018’. That’s not ambitious, and it’s not how we unlock Redditch and release its full potential.”
“It was a similar story with our swimming pool. Labour hesitated for 10 years over that, we took control and delivered it in 2 years. They dither, we deliver.”
“Re-hashing old stories about money they haven’t secured yet shows how desperate Labour have become to look like they’re doing something about our town centre when there is a local election in a couple of months, when in reality they’ve done very little over 6 years.”
The local Conservative group’s concern around the topic of Redditch town centre became more pressing following Marks & Spencer announcing it would be closing its Redditch store along with a number of other stores around the UK. Commenting on this, Councillor Brunner said: “We have had concerns about our town centre for a number of years and have been in touch with the community on this issue, so when M&S announced it was closing we were inundated with communications from concerned residents.”
The raised level of concern led to the Conservatives in Redditch launching their ‘Unlock Redditch’ campaign earlier than originally planned, and as part of her efforts to encourage M&S to reconsider their decision, Rachel Maclean MP launched a Facebook poll in which over 3,000 people have voted with around 89% support for M&S retaining at least a Food Hall in the town.
Councillor Brunner said: “My colleagues on the Labour side talk a good talk about how much they love Redditch, but they have a funny way of showing it when one of their own Councillors votes against keeping a major retailer in our town.”
Notes for Editors
- The Brendan Nevin discussion paper was published on the Redditch Borough Council website and can also be viewed here: https://www.scribd.com/document/371800122/Brendan-Nevin-Discussion-Paper-about-the-Redditch-economy
- An annotated breakdown of the discussion paper can be viewed here: http://vote4rouse.co.uk/2018/02/the-brendan-nevin-report-underlines-the-urgent-need-to-unlockredditch/
- The £17.5m package was announced in March 2017. It was covered by outlets such as the Redditch Advertiser here: http://www.redditchadvertiser.co.uk/news/15155653.Cash_boost_to_make_Redditch_a_more_attractive_place_to_live__visit_and_invest/
- The package of measures was announced on 9 March 2017, just a day after Chancellor Hammond’s first budget: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/midlands-engine-to-roar-ahead-with-ambitious-new-strategy
- The online poll run by Rachel Maclean MP can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/RedditchRachel/posts/1806342912996710
