Party political bickering breaks out over Collyhurst

Article published: Monday, November 29th 2010

Lib Dem and Labour councillors flung accusations at one another last week following news that the Collyhurst social housing project – which would have reconstructed and refurbished a total of 1,300 homes in one of the most deprived parts of the country – is to be scrapped by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Reference was made in the Manchester City Council Executive meeting to Lib Dem Cllr Damien O’Connor’s failure to use his leverage with Lib Dem coalition ministers to secure the funding, while Lib Dem Executive members reminded their counterparts that it was during a Labour government that the project floundered and stalled for six years. This formed part of a sustained attack by the Labour Executive on their Lib Dem counterparts who replied  in kind, during a meeting whose theme was meant to be the impact of government cuts in the city – but ended up being dominated by party political tribalism.

Residents from South Collyhurst who will be affected by the decision were present at the meeting. However, they were prevented from adding it to the agenda as an emergency point due to ‘procedural’ reasons.

After the meeting, Lib Dem Councillor O’Connor accused Labour of “using this announcement as party political”. This was in reference to comments from Council Deputy Leader Cllr Jim Battle after the meeting, when he said to O’Connor in a corridor “You didn’t get it, did you?” before laughing. “It is absolutely appalling,” Cllr O’Connor told MULE.

When asked by MULE about this incident, Battle denied that his comment was directed at the people of Collyhurst or anyone other than O’Connor himself. He also gave a statement: “The residents of Collyhurst have been badly let down by the Lib Dems in Government and the local Lib Dem councillor. Only Local Labour councillors are committed to backing the residents of Collyhurst to improve their homes and their area. Labour Councillors continue to work with residents and tenants associations to secure much needed funding for Collyhurst.”

Yet Lib Dem councillors, who are in a minority in Manchester City Council, have levelled the charge that during 13 years of dialogue with their own party in government, the Labour-run Manchester City Council itself failed to secure this “much needed funding” for the area, where all homes have been declared beneath minimum standards for dwellings.

Nor does it appear that all of Manchester’s Lib Dem elected representatives agree with the austerity programme that their party are enabling to be forced onto the country. Speaking of his dismay caused by the CLG’s announcement in a tone echoing criticisms from various sectors of the population, Cllr O’Connor said: “It is a complete and utter attack on some of the most vulnerable people in the country.”

Now Manchester’s Housing Executive member, Cllr Paul Andrews, has written to the Housing Minister Grant Shapps asking him to reconsider the Collyhurst project.

The cancellation of the development has caused such consternation due to the length of time it spent under consideration. Applications for the scheme were initially submitted in 2004 according to Manchester’s Housing Executive. However, the government has tried to justify its decision on the grounds that the project was still at pre-procurement stage – a description forcefully denied by the Council and local Lib Dem councillors, who say that the advanced stage of planning means it should be given special consideration.

Michael Pooler

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