BROGDALE

The future of the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale was examined as a matter of urgency at Kent County Council's all-party Cabinet Scrutiny Committee last week.

The Committee agreed unanimously that the Committee's Chairman, Mike Eddy (Labour), should write to the Minister who would take the decision, to express its concern about the view expressed by Kent County Council's Cabinet Member for Regeneration, Roger Gough, that moving the collection from Brogdale to Malling was unacceptable.

Mike Eddy, Labour Chairman of the Cabinet Scrutiny Committee, says:

"It was quite clear that additional information had come in since the Cabinet Member first wrote to the Ministry of Food and Rural Affairs. Members of all political parties were keen to see the collections retained at Brogdale and repeatedly gave the Cabinet Member opportunities to amend his original letter without losing face. He chose not to do so."

Roger Truelove, Labour Shadow Cabinet Member for Regeneration and a member of the Cabinet Scrutiny Committee, says:

"I am surprised that my Conservative counterpart refused the life-line we kept throwing him. A strong line from KCC that the Brogdale collections should remain where they were would have been more helpful than just saying that Malling would do just as well."