The Yellow Advertiser has a photo this week of 10 Conservative Councillors outside the Council Chamber in Rayleigh, celebrating the approval of Southend United’s planning application. They have a banner saying “Rochford United”. It’s a staged photo, taken on the morning after the planning meeting.
The 3 Lib Dem councillors who voted for the application (that’s Chris Black, June Lumley and Chris Lumley) could have come along as well, but the whole thing seemed slightly unseemly.
But there’s something darn strange about this photo. What is Councillor Peter Webster doing there, smiling and holding one end of the banner? He spoke and voted against the application!
And what is Councillor Richard Amner doing there, with his fist raised in triumph? He is the ward member for the application. When his residents were in the council chamber on the previous night, he also spoke and voted against the scheme!
These two councillors spoke very firmly against the application. Why would they want to be in a photo that makes the public believe that they supported it?
Perhaps they know something we don’t.
Perhaps they think it will all fail at the final hurdle and end up being built next to the new Asda in Rawreth.
Perhaps they just like their picture in the paper.
That just says it all a total sham