Councillor Crosby - Putting the Record Straight

[Bill Crosby]

As some of you will have read there have been some significant changes to the town centre re-development project as a result of Covid-19.  High street shops have been suffering for some time now due to changes in shopping habits and it was always going to be difficult to attract investment but that had been achieved with Bedlington recognised as a new market by retailers. Sadly, Covid-19 changed that as the retail sector contracted and some businesses ceased trading.  This resulted in my two fellow Bedlington Councillors and myself having in depth discussions with the current administration as to what we could do in order to move the development forward for the benefit of Bedlington residents.

Over a period of months, we developed and agreed a new direction for the town centre that would replace elements of the retail with the leisure provision that Bedlington lacks in comparison to neighbouring towns.  This will include a swimming pool and a new modern library in the heart of the town centre.  A supermarket remains part of the development as do units that will front the market place.  With the extra £2.5m that the Council received from the Government for Bedlington there will now be in the region of £10.5m available for the re-worked project, which given the circumstances is something that I am delighted about.

At the meeting of full council yesterday there was a vote of no confidence in the Council Leader, Peter Jackson, which I did not support.  This was put forward by the Labour Leader who also made a ridiculous accusation that the votes of Bedlington Councillors had been bought by the proposed investment in the town centre.  Let me put the record straight on those two issues as I will not be lectured at by Labour or any other political party.

I did not support the vote of no confidence for the quite simple reason that no evidence was provided by Labour or any other Councillor that spoke to back up allegations and rumours.  In my experience it would be the equivalent of convicting someone without a proper trial and consideration of the facts.  If evidence had been presented that wrongdoing had taken place, then I would have voted differently but there was nothing more than references to what had been reported in the press.  My Bedlington colleague Councillor Russ Wallace put it rather succinctly yesterday when he spoke: “What we don’t have yet are facts. Until we do, we should get on with what we were elected to do.” If other Councillors are happy to be complicit in what I thought to be a kangaroo court that is a matter for them.

On the accusation from Councillor Susan Dungworth that my vote was bought for the investment I find the hypocrisy and irony off the scale.  What have Labour ever done for Bedlington?  How many decades have they had to build a leisure centre in the town?  During the most recent Labour administration the Portfolio Member for Leisure was a Bedlington based Councillor and Ashington got a replacement leisure centre yet Bedlington got nothing.  Whilst Ian Lavery chaired Ashington Football Club it benefited  from more than £1m of investment as part of the Arch scandal that took place under Labour. How much did Bedlington Terriers get?  The answer is nothing and that is what Labour has delivered for Bedlington.

The investment in leisure in Bedlington is the result of the hard work of myself and my two colleagues over several months who are motivated only to do what is right for Bedlington.  Yesterday was a political side show as a result of Conservative party infighting and Labour opportunism. I have no interest in either and will continue to serve Bedlington residents to the best of my ability and to address the complete failure of representation in the past.