Delays over Memorial Gardens unacceptable, say Norwich Lib Dems

4.09.04pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 20th Sep 2007

Brian Watkins

Councillors Brian Watkins and Judith Lubbock criticise the continued delay over the renovation of the Memorial Gardens.

In a letter to the EDP Councillor Brian Watkins wrote:

Dear Editor,

The hoardings around the memorial gardens continue to provide a visual reminder of the city council's shelving of the promised refurbishment project. The Labour administration at City Hall has recently tried to make reassuring noises about its commitment to this project but to many people it all seems like empty words. In particular, the veterans must feel that their long campaign to have the war memorial turned round will never be realised. It is little wonder that there is so much cynicism about the current impasse.

In reality it shouldn't be that way. Under the previous Liberal Democrat administration, I was the chair of a stakeholder panel that had started to progress the St Peter's Street improvements and which was committed to securing capital funding for the memorial gardens project within two years. Since then, Labour has had ample opportunity to fulfil the pledge that the Liberal Democrats made to the people of Norwich. They have simply used the council's financial problems as a convenient smokescreen. If we had remained in power, the Liberal Democrats would have used the proceeds of the sale of land at Bowthorpe to fund both the memorial gardens refurbishment and the long awaited skateboard facility at Eaton Park.

Brian Watkins

Deputy Leader, Liberal Democrat Group

Norwich City Council

After continued excuses from the Labour leadership Judith Lubbock wrote:

Dear Editor

Cllr Ferris continues to blame the previous Lib Dem administration for Labour's inaction over the refurbishment of the Memorial Gardens and the building of a Skatepark in Eaton Park(EDP 11/9) The City Council has been run by Labour for 18 months and the excuse that there was a capital deficit really is not correct.

She knows that both projects were to be funded out of the sale of Bowthorpe land for housing which had the Lib Dems remained in control would have taken place shortly after May 2005. The 18 month delay will probably increase to 2 years or more before the City sees the receipts for the land sale and the start of these vital projects. This has meant that the War Veterans and the young have missed out as well as the citizens of Norwich.

Yours sincerely

Lib Dem Cllr Judith Lubbock