Council Selling Off Open Spaces Will Make Swindon Children Fat & Antisocial Says #SwindonTory MP

In his maiden speech to the House of Commons on the 10th of June 2010, Justin Tomlinson, MP for Swindon North said that  dwindling amounts of public open space in the town worried him.
Tomlinson said high density new developments like those in Abbey Meads would lead to problems in the future and blamed them, in part, on the rise of childhood obesity. He said:

“Without those open spaces, it is no surprise that child obesity ha s increased. Too often, we look at improving leisure centres, which is a commendable thing, but the lion’s share of sporting a ctivity takes place in open spaces. I am concerned that the lack of such space will fuel antisocial behaviour, as young people’s endless enthusiastic energy will not be burnt off.”

How embarrassing for Tomlinson that the Swindon Pravdatiser appears to be behaving like a proper newspaper again, (for the time being – this may be a temporary aberration), and is chasing Swindon Borough Council with freedom of information requests, and only six days after Tomlinson had made his maiden speech in the House of Commons Pravda was reporting the proposed sell-off of several small’ish parcels of open space.

People have long memories though, and it wasn’t that long ago that, just prior to one years council elections, Councillor David Sammels delivered several thousand leaflets to the residents of one North Swindon Ward telling them proudly that the ‘Stratton Playing Fields’ were safe in Tory hands and would not be developed….

…and a little while later they were indeed ‘developed’.  Cllr Sammels, (now ex-councillor Sammels), always struck me as an honest geezer.  I went digging around and quickly found that Cllr Sammels had been told by Rod Bluh,  leader of Swindon Borough Council, that the Stratton playing fields were safe from development and Sammels dutifully spread the word to a grateful ward.

Subsequently, in an act of political backstabbing for which he is becoming infamous, Bluh then had the then lead-member for childrens services, Cllr Garry ‘2 r’s’ – Perkins sell Stratton Playing Fields off for development.   Bluh pissed on the residents on Stratton but didn’t have the decency to lie and tell them it was raining.   I believe Bluh’s arrogant betrayal that was largely responsible for Cllr Sammels standing down from Swindon Borough Council prior to the 2010 local elections.  Bluh  saw David Sammels as a threat so he not only killed two birds with one stone but had also acquired some petty cash for his vanity pRodjects.

Despite what Mr Tomlinson may say in the House of Commons about open space sell-off’s, I don’t remember him squeaking a single word of protest when the Stratton playing fields were sold off, and I’m fairly sure he was the Swindon Borough Council Cabinet member for leisure when they were sold….I’m happy to be corrected on this, but if my memory is right Tomlinson could be off to a shaky start in the commons.  His recent ‘Councilloring’ history in Swindon isn’t pretty.  He became a regular abstainer from votes, avoider of contentious issues and difficult questions because he was so focussed on getting into Parliament.  Moreover, with Rod Bluh’s  incompetence flinging political napalm off in all directions, Tomlinson must have been very relieved to get away from him by going to Westminster…..for all of six days.

There’s probably no escape for Justin Tomlinson, he was sunk up to his nuts in the full depth of Swindon Borough Council’s political shittyness for 10 years and is tainted by almost every one of its bad smells…..

…and you can’t bury a bad smell.

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