UPDATED Affordable housing sparks political row

A SOUTH Warwickshire MP's calls for a public meeting to debate affordable housing has sparked a political row.

Matt Western, the Labour MP for Warwick and Leamington, set a date and a location, and invited Warwick District Council's Conservative leader, Cllr Andrew Mobbs, and its chief executive, Chris Elliott.

He said the purpose was to publicly debate the lack of affordable housing in two council-led developments: the sale of its current headquarters for housing, which it says will fund the building of a new office, a complex that will also include apartments and offices.

But the council claims that Mr Western did not send an invite to the two before issuing a press release announcing that he had. Mr Western says he did.

A spokesperson said neither Cllr Mobbs - who has described it as a "political ploy and mischief making" - nor Mr Elliott would be attending the meeting, proposed to take place on Monday, 16th April, from 8pm to 10pm, at Leamington Town Hall, adding that they would host their own meeting.

Mr Western is unhappy with the council's insistence that neither of its schemes would be viable if they were to include affordable housing, even though that jars against its own planning policy of providing 40 per cent in sites of more than 11 homes.

Cllr Mobbs said: “It would have been common courtesy, on the part of our local MP, to have approached both myself and Chris Elliott first before setting a date for this meeting and publicising it to the press, to see whether we were available to take part.

"It is not my intention to attend because this is purely a political ploy and mischief making concerning a council decision that has received cross party support over the years.

"The Labour group leader at the time was fully informed and briefed on a regular basis as were other group leaders. All group leaders supported our HQ move.

"I should also make it clear that we have followed the usual consultation process with local businesses, stakeholders and residents, including an exhibition in the Royal Priors [in Leamington].

"And I can also confirm that my e-mail inbox has not received any contrary views regarding our HQ move from any individual business."

He added: "I would have hoped that our MP would embrace and celebrate our well-run council, even though of a different political party.

"The office move enhances a part of the centre of Leamington, provides a larger new car park for one in danger of imminent closure from concrete cancer, provides approximately 200 new homes in Leamington and also saves the council tax payer £300,000 per annum.

"This is £3million over ten years, £6million over 20 years and would mean a four per cent council tax increase without these savings. We should recognise the common sense and financial benefits here.

"In conclusion, we will continue to get our positive message across; misleading statements and the attempt to whip up a furore for political gain merely damages the district. But we want everybody to have the opportunity to meet with us, therefore we will be organising an event at the town hall, so that all interested members of the public and our business community can come along and gain the true facts."

Announcing the meeting last Wednesday, Mr Western said: "I am calling for a long overdue public meeting to discuss the new district council offices to allow the community to hear from the council, but also to share their views.

"I have invited leader Andrew Mobbs and the chief executive Chris Elliott to attend.

"A huge number of local residents have expressed their concern as have many local businesses who are deeply concerned by the loss of car parking provision at Covent Garden [in Leamington].”

The MP has been a fierce critic of the planning loophole that allows developers to use viability reports to duck out of their affordable housing requirements and has led a debate in parliament on the issue.

The Conservative leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council, Cllr Chris Saint, has also spoken out against the use of viability reports, as have the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England and homeless charity Shelter.

Mr Western told the Herald this morning, Tuesday, that he would "insist the leaderships attends".

And in an e-mail to Cllr Mobbs, seen by the Herald, he wrote: "It is most disappointing to read that will not attend the public meeting because you don’t want to. I’m sure you don’t need reminding that you are accountable to the public, in a role paid for by the public. I think you may want to reflect on this."