Iain Duncan Smith's Election Address Porkies (Chingford and Woodford Green Liberal Democrats)

Chingford and Woodford Green Liberal Democrats <info@cwglibdems.org.uk>

Iain Duncan Smith's Election Address Porkies

April 30, 2010 10:27 PM

Whilst it is only to be expected that a parliamentary candidate attempts to portray him or herself as a person who takes action on behalf of the people, Iain Duncan Smith appears to be so devoid of examples of such action that he has resorted to claiming the the credit for the work of others. When those "others" happens to be senior Liberal Democrat councillor Richard Hoskins, sparks are bound to fly.

The offending document

His election address pictures Duncan Smith opposite the half completed Higgins Roof Terrace site in High Road South Woodford with a caption "Battling developers who tried to flout the system with an additional unapproved floor". Building control officers should have picked up the contravention but failed to do. In fact it was Richard Hoskins who noticed the problem when walking past the site. He took it up with the officers concerned and they issued Higgins with an instruction to remove the offending structure. It is difficult to see how Duncan Smith can claim any involvement in the matter.

In another paragraph we are told "It was Iain who helped to save the Derby Road car park. He persuaded Redbridge Council to reverse its decision to sell the car park after the local community became concerned....." Apart from the ward councillors raising objections when the proposal was first tabled, it was the Neighbourhood Watch group who organised a petition and the concomitant publicity to oppose the scheme. The sale was put on hold whilst the Tory administration played for time with its disastrous Big Conversation but ultimately nothing happened because the property market went into decline and a sale would not have realised the capital sum on which the capital programme had been predicated.

As he has so often done for other protests, Duncan Smith appeared for the group photograph with the Neighbourhood Watch but, as far as we know, had no direct involvement in persuading anybody of anything.

Geoff Seeff, the LibDem's parliamentary candidate, says that it is a sad day when a candidate has to resort to blatant lies to get elected - but then there have been too many sad days in recent British electoral history.