"Publish our town centre's report" - Kettering Lib Dems

4.01.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 1st Jul 2008

Lib Dem campaigners Jehad Soliman and Chris McGlynn are concerned about the health of Kettering town centre

Liberal Democrat campaigners have reacted with dismay after Kettering Borough Council failed to publish in full a consultant's report on redeveloping Kettering town centre.

The Conservative-run authority - which commissioned the report from paid consultants Savills - told Liberal Democrats last month that the full details of proposals to regenerate Kettering town centre would be published in time for a meeting of the Planning Policy Committee on Wednesday 2nd July.

The report - which outlines proposals to regenerate Kettering town centre - has nonetheless not been published, despite a summary having been presented to a meeting of the Council's Executive Committee on 11th June.

Vice-Chairman of Kettering Liberal Democrats Chris McGlynn said, "With Kettering town centre continuing to suffer from a difficult economy and high car parking charges, it is vital that we make sure that plans to regenerate it are fit for purpose."

"By withholding the report, local residents and traders are being denied to chance to look in depth at what the professionals have proposed and to make sure that they will do the job they have been designed to do."

"I call on Kettering Conservatives to remedy this error by publishing this report in full as soon as possible!"

ENDS

Notes:

1. The summary of the "Kettering Futures" report was presented as a paper to the Executive Committee held on 11th June: http://www.kettering.gov.uk/downloads/10_Kettering_Future.doc.

2. At the time of the 11th June Executive Committee meeting, the Liberal Democrats queried why the full report had not been published. At that time, council officers told Liberal Democrats that the full details of the redevelopment proposals would be published as a report to the 2nd July meeting of the Planning Policy Committee.

3. Papers published online for the Planning Policy Committee, however, do not include a copy of the report: http://www.kettering.gov.uk/site/scripts/meetings_info.php?meetingID=599.