Following the removal from office by fellow Councillors of the Leader of Northumberland County Council Peter Jackson a Farmer from Ponteland, the new interim Leader of Northumberland County Council Glen Sanderson JP seems to have gone into hiding.
For the last three years he has held
the portfolio for Highways and Local Services and just like many of the
portfolio holders from the Tory cabinet at County Hall in Morpeth he has spun
out stories about what he will deliver for the people of the County.
One of the prime targets he rambled
on about in his early days in office during 2017 was his support for the
development of a Cowpen Road bypass to spread Blyth’s traffic across a wider
network of roads and ease pollution for the thousands who live in the
Cowpen/Kitty Brewster areas of Blyth, Northumberland’s largest town.
The County Council has borrowed
£880M since he released his promise and spent it mainly on schools and highways
in rural areas of the County. His latest spend of course is the promise given
to the three Bedlington Councillors to build a swimming pool and leisure centre
in their town in exchange for their votes to save his predecessor in the post
of Leader, Councillor Peter Jacksons job. This type of unbudgeted spend of
course puts back promised projects and the Cowpen Road bypass is the prime one
to suffer.
The
latest news from the Financial Times today is that the Government faces a legal
challenge over clean air plans
The UK Government is facing a legal action to
force an early review of air quality targets, as evidence suggests severe
coronavirus cases are linked to air pollution. The challenge is being brought
by the Good Law Project alongside campaign groups Mums for Lungs, the UK Climate
Coalition, and Students for Global Health. A growing number of studies,
including analysis by Harvard University, suggest high levels of air pollution
can raise the risk of dying from COVID-19. But there is still significant
debate over the strength of the link between the two issues. Lawyers making the
challenge argue ministers have a legal obligation to act, even if the
scientific evidence is not yet conclusive. They are seeking a judicial review,
which would examine whether Defra followed the rules in reaching the decision
to refuse an early review of the strategy.
Through
Councillor Sanderson ignoring the plight of the people in the Cowpen area he is
just a guilty as his Government for the illnesses people have suffered since
May 2017 when he first made his promise and local people have told us they are
keeping a weather eye on the progress of this case and may also seek judicial
review to force Councillor Sanderson to keep his promises.
https://www.ft.com/content/7c93b653-50fa-4329-9ba2-cc3342dbe36f
