9.4.2000

Davey condemns Government’s latest ‘leafy’ Borough statement

Kingston & Surbiton’s MP, Edward Davey, reacted with astonishment to another Labour Minister labelling Kingston as a ‘leafy’ Borough during his recent adjournment debate.

During the debate, Edward Davey highlighted the fact that local services and organisations suffered from a disproportionately low level of funding when compared to other areas of the country. He attributed this to the fact that the Government’s perception of the Borough was completely out of touch with the facts on the ground.

Commenting after the debate, Edward Davey said,

"Just when I think the Government may finally be accepting my argument that there are problems locally with our health service, police force and schools, the Minister uses this stereotype to reinforce how out of touch they are with the situation in this Borough."

"Unfortunately, the Minister’s misunderstanding of the situation in the Borough sends out a dangerous signal to local residents. Just like the last Conservative Government, when there are tough financial decisions to be made in the future, the current Labour Government is likely to target Kingston for cuts once again."

Note

The ‘leafy’ Borough label was first used by the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions John (aka ‘Two Jags’) Prescott to explain why Kingston was being targeted for cuts to its vital services whilst areas in Labour heartland’s received generous budget settlements.