Lavery calls on county council to reveal plans in letter to leader

Ian Lavery has urged the Conservative-led administration at County Hall to announce its intentions for some key sites to ‘put mine and my constituents’ minds at rest’.

The areas highlighted in the Wansbeck MP’s letter to Northumberland County Council leader Peter Jackson – sent last night – include the town centre development in Newbiggin and future leisure, library, parking and school provision in Morpeth.

He also raises concerns about Arch, the local authority’s development company, and calls on the Tories to make a pledge not to reduce council jobs or services or pass any of them to the private sector.

But Coun Jackson has hit back today, accusing Mr Lavery of ‘unnecessarily scaremongering residents and council staff’.

He pointed to the example of the Pipers Place development in Bedlington, as he has said the planning permission process for this scheme should not be slowed down – an outline application for the mixed-use project was approved by the council earlier this month.