LABOUR SUMMIT ON THAMESIDE ISSUESThe Labour Shadow Leaders of Essex County Council, Kent County Council, Thurrock Council and Medway Council met on 5 March in Maidstone (Kent) to discuss a series of common issues focussed on the Thameside development area.Mike Eddy, Shadow Leader of Kent County Council, says:"This was an extremely useful meeting at which we were able to exchange our experiences of progress in the Thames Gateway area and a number of other related issues like the lower Thames Crossing and Boris Johnson's eccentric proposal to revive the Cliffe Airport issue."The four Leaders expressed their concerns at the continuity and delivery of the Thames Gateway project and sought to find ways of pressing Ministers to overcome the difficulties in working with a mixture of two tier and single tier councils controlled by Conservatives who have consistently been unhelpful to the revival of the Gateway area.Paul Kirkman, Labour Shadow Leader of Essex County Council, says:"The Thames has been a gateway for a long time. What we need is delivery of the cultural, economic and environmental regeneration Essex and Kent require to play our role in its future. What is clear is that the Tory County Councils on both sides of the river have been slow to commit wholeheartedly to this agenda and are still dragging their feet."Paul Godwin, Labour Shadow Leader of Medway Council, says:"Despite millions of pounds of government investment in regeneration in Medway; the Tories seem incapable of translating this into real benefits for our local communities."
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