BNP said nothing about allotments

Letter from William F Marten | Wednesday, 28 November 2007 Source: Ilford Recorder

WITH reference to your article, "Shock as BNP take credit for allotment 'victory'" (Recorder, last week), I was at the town hall with plot-holding friends when the allotment sales matter was referred back to cabinet.

I know that BNP councillor Julian Leppert did not speak on the matter, and I don't think he asked to speak either. He did vote the right way, but that is as far as his support for allotments went.

It isn't unusual for the BNP to claim credit for things that they have done nothing to achieve. Not the behaviour of an honest political party.

Quite a few of my family live in Hainault. Two uncles have allotments there. They aren't left-wingers, but they are disgusted by Cllr Leppert's claims.

To the best of their knowledge he has never visited the allotments nor spoken to anyone on the sites. They are outraged that he is now claiming credit for the allotment "victory".

In any case there is no victory yet. Allotment sales go back to the cabinet in January. I think it highly likely that our out of touch cabinet members, egged on by certain officers with their minds on bigger, prestige projects, will still try to sell New North Road, Goodmayes and Vicarage Lane South allotments. It is a massive threat to the quality of life in Redbridge. But do they care? I fear not.

WILLIAM F MARTEN

Longbridge Road,

Barking