What will be interesting will be how the leafleting and doorstep campaigns are presented. In previous years the main parties have, as usual, focused on national politics. Labour with its anti-austerity and anti-Brexit literature in 2018, the Tories with the disastrous Theresa May photo ops with candidates the same year.I suspect Labour will dodge the contentious issues for which it is entirely responsible locally and focus on the Boris effect. I wonder if Mason will explain to voters about the council’s Broadway Living business, for which the cabinet voted to guarantee a £400m loan to redevelop, among others, Perceval House and Gurnell Leisure Centre with high rise blocks. Ealing’s council tax payers will be on the hook for any failure with this plan - which has been described as high risk by those in local government. Croydon Council went bust due to a similar development model.Anyone wondering why Gurnell remains closed should know that redevelopment of the site with multiple tower blocks of ‘affordable’ and full price homes is a key plank of Broadway Living’s business plan. It won’t reopen until the council gets its way to build on the land.Since when did it become a local authority role to become a player on the roulette wheel of property speculation? This is not council housing, it’s a way of building poor quality housing - which may not even last for the 50 year term of the loan - and keeping certain key partners sweet.I’ve not seen anything from the Tories of LibDems about this.
Simon Hayes ● 1310d