Councillor Hits Out At Havering Council:”Yes Launders Lane Is A Very Complex Situation , But Why Has It Taken A Judicial Review From Residents To Move This Matter Forward?”

Independent Cranham Councillor Philip Ruck, has hit out at Havering Council following the High Court ruling over the toxic landfill site on Launders Lane in Rainham.

Councillor Ruck said: “The Council have just released a statement in relation to the Arnolds Field judicial review.

Surely the futile blame game of pointing at the previous administration and saying we did more than them does not address the issue.

Residents of the area want solutions – not more words crafted via a wordy statement that offers little by way of action.

The judicial review must embarrass the current HRA administration?

Yes, it is a very complex situation , but why has it taken a judicial review from residents to move this matter forward?

It is obvious that the current landowner, faced by a bill amounting to many millions will drag their feet in acting, if indeed they can be traced and/or have assets that will cover the cost of such restitution. 

Let’s be clear, Havering Council is bankrupt, in normal accounting terms, and can only borrow from the Government to balance its books. So there is no pot of money to pay for the solution.

However, the Council is set to borrow £88million from the Government to keep going for the next 12 months. Please bear in mind that all Havering Residents will see this debt increasing as to put it bluntly, despite savings, costs will continue to exceed income/funding at a seriously significant level for years to come. I do not see Government increasing grants to alleviate the burden on Havering Residents , who will most probably recognise the debt by increases in Council tax. The Council is in a place , where they will have to borrow more to even pay the interest back to the Government on the loan.

At the forefront of our minds must be those residents whose health and quality of life is suffering whilst legal judgements and statements are produced taking time but do nothing to resolve the issue.

In summary, my views are as follows:

1) Resolution by the current landowner will take years before local residents see any action, if any action at all will be taken by the current landowner 

2) The Council should embrace the judicial review and take action.

3) The Council should formulate a plan to take over the land, fix the contamination and go after the landowner to recover the costs, which will be significant.

4) Funding sources should be found, but if not readily available, the government loan (£88m) should be increased to cover the additional costs incurred . (Let’s face it, to pay of the loan, the current ludicrous position is we will then have to borrow more from the Government to pay the Government back). For the record, it is Officers of the Council who decide about the loan. Councillors have no say.

The current HRA Administration keep talking about “openness and transparency” – anyone for buzzword bingo – to me actions speak louder than words. 

Let us please see some action, we’ve had enough words.”

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