MP’s Notebook – July 2017

First of all, I would like to thank everyone who voted for me in the recent general election.

It is a great privilege to have been elected as your local Member of Parliament for the sixth time, and I will do my best to repay your trust and confidence.

And whether you voted for me for not, or didn’t vote at all, I am here to represent all of you, so don’t hesitate to get in touch if you think I can be of assistance. You can email me at: bennh@parliament.uk, ring my constituency office on (0113) 244 1097 or come to one of my regular advice surgeries – details available on my website at www.hilarybenn.org/get_help

 

The Grenfell Tower fire was an awful tragedy that shocked us all. Our first priority must be to ensure that all those affected are given the support they need – now and in the years ahead. The second is for the Public Inquiry to find out what happened and why. And the third is to implement its recommendations so that nothing like this ever happens again.

Immediately after the fire, I contacted Leeds City Council to ask what checks were being undertaken on the safety of residential tower blocks in the city, including in South Leeds. Following investigations, the Council confirmed that our blocks do not have any Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) type cladding similar to that installed at Grenfell Tower. I’m told that the cladding systems installed across Leeds have used fire retardant materials and meet all building regulations for fire safety. The Council is, however, doing further checks.

Clearly, retrofitting sprinklers in all older blocks – which will require Government funding – will be a major question for the Inquiry. Leeds is already installing sprinklers in sheltered residential blocks; five of the eight blocks have now been completed, the sixth is in progress and two more are planned. The Council also, in partnership with West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, delivered a letter and a fire safety leaflet to all residents in high rise properties in Leeds, with meetings for residents to follow.

It’s really important that we take the action needed to keep people safe in their homes.

 

Lastly, there’s been a lot of comment locally about the Planning Inspector’s decision to overrule the Council’s objections to the granting of planning permission for the Ice Pak development. Many of us – local residents, local councillors, me as your MP and the Council’s Planning Committee – had rejected it on traffic grounds, and I am saddened that the Inspector decided to allow it to go ahead. His decision is final because that is the way the national planning system works. Once an Inspector has made a decision, there is no further right of appeal.

The Inspector did however attach a number of conditions and the task now is to make sure that these are fully observed while trying to build a relationship between residents and Aspiring Communities who have admitted that they did not handle the process well.

Let us hope we can do better in future.

 

4 Replies to “MP’s Notebook – July 2017”

  1. Conditions attached,,yeah right,who is going to enforce them,police,no,council,no,lose votes and scared stiff.let the fun times begin

  2. I agree who is going to police all the conditioned that are to be imposed. Also as I understand it the council are talking with the planning department to see if a judicial review can be carried out, which I understand is a possibility. What the local councillors and MP have failed to digest is the fact that the the trust and confidence has been lost in the Beeston area around the Icepak development, they were voted in because the area is perdomantly a lab our strong hold. I do not believe that ASpiring communities will engage with the local people and further more I have no faith what so ever that either the council,environmental agency or building control will enforce the conditions set out.

  3. Well then Hilary Benn MP, why did you and the council not propose something else for the site? Social housing for example. Or a different sort of community facility. But you didn’t. And the opposition on traffic grounds just doesn’t hold up really. It is a big site and set back from the street. Next door there is a repairs garage and a tyre centre and next to that a factory of some sort for wooden pallets. Not exactly attractive in a residential area. I repeat: all around our inner-cities and suburbs there are buildings with car parks and stuff going on. So why not this one in this location? I actually do believe that AC will attempt engagement with the local residents.

    1. Yes hilary,you tried you best,,give over,you rely on muslim vote around beeston,(i did my best)well your best wasn’t good was it,seen more powerin a dead battery,when people of south leeds take note of what YOU have acually done,well we’ll see.silly me,forgot about your thousands of muslim voters YOU didn’t want to upset,.

Comments are closed.