Years of support for residents

I wish to respond Ms Pam Brown's disingenuous comments about me in last weeks Observer.

First of all I have no knowledge of the meeting that she criticised me and Labour councillors for not attending.

In contrast, between 2010 and 2016, no less than five public meetings have been organised by myself and Labour councillors regarding traffic problems on the Ridge and the impact of this on arterial roads .

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Those meetings were advertised in the press prior to the events taking place. Leaflets informing of the meeting were also distributed.

In addition, over the past six years, the Observer has published numerous letters written by myself and other Labour councillors on this issue .

Senior Highways Officers from East Sussex also attended some of these meetings.

Neither Ms Brown or any other senior member of her party bothered to turn up to any of these meetings.

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Had they done so they would have witnessed residents and Labour councillors pressing ESCC officers to carry out junction improvements on the Ridge, including Elphinstone Road, and other measures to reduce the problem of adjacent roads to the Ridge becoming rat runs during peak periods.

Residents and Labour councillors have also repeatedly urged the Highways Officers to install a pedestrian crossing near to the junction with Elphinstone Road to enable pedestrians to safely cross the Ridge.

I would emphasise to Ms Brown that all of these measures were requested well in advance of the planning of the link road.

Ms Brown’s comments are not only insulting to myself and colleagues but also disingenuous to Pilot Fields Area Residents Association and other residents that have been actively campaigning on this issue.

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To the best of my knowledge it was not until a couple weeks ago that a member of Ms Brown’s party first commented on the problems on the Ridge. Why has this person and Ms Brown been silent on this issue until now?

Ms Brown should at least have the integrity to retract her comments and applauded the efforts of residents in Baird, St Helens and their local councillors in maintaining the pressure on ESCC to undertake these vital carriageway improvements.

Mike Turner

Hastings Borough Council

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