Question to PM on land plea
I had the opportunity of asking Tony Blair a question at Prime Minister's Question Time and I decided to ask a question on Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council's struggle to acquire land currently owned by central Government.
For well over a year Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council has been trying to obtain Government agreement over a land swop deal which would provide additional medical facilities for Shrewsbury, together with land for recreational purposes.
The request went first to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) where it made very little progress. In May I arranged a meeting for officers of the council to meet the ODPM.
The ODPM was subsequently dissolved and the application was transferred to the Department for Communities and Local Government. Despite the best efforts of our council, they are still awaiting a response.
Darwin House is at present occupied by the District Valuers under the auspices of the DCLG. We believe that a better use of this building would be as a tourist attraction for a world famous man.
Ruth Kelly, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government recently made a speech in which she stated that local assets were better off in the hands of local people: I believe this fits in well with what she was saying.
At PMQs the Prime Minister explained that he would check that it was possible to arrange for the land to be passed to Shrewsbury council and get back to me. I only hope that he is able to report in a positive manner.
Daniel Kawczynski MP, Shrewsbury and Atcham
