Lib Dems celebrate Ormesby housing decision

Redcar Constituency Liberal Democrats are celebrating this week following the rejection of intrusive housing plans at Longbank Farm, Ormesby.

The application for 320 houses received widespread objections from local residents, councillors and business and was refused during a planning meeting on Thursday.

Ian Swales MP commented:

“This is a great result for the residents of Ormesby and for local councillors Glyn and Irene Nightingale and Ann Wilson who have all worked extremely hard to ensure the plans weren’t approved.”

Ormesby Ward Cllr Glyn Nightingale and Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources said:

“Alongside our residents, we’ve worked hard to ensure the decision on this application was the right one. The housing plans were intrusive and the application should never have been considered.

“Irene, Ann and I are delighted with the decision.”

Deputy Leader of the council and prospective MP for the Redcar Constituency, Cllr Josh Mason said:

“I have been behind my colleagues and local residents 100%. Labour made some disastrous choices for housing developments in the borough and we’re now working as hard as we can to put this right.”

Lib Dems re-elect Chris

Chris Abbott
Irene Nightingale
Mary Ovens

The 13 Liberal Democrat councillors at Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council have unanimously re-elected Councillor Chris Abbott as their Group Leader.

Chris has been Group Leader since 1999. He and his wife Glynis both represent the Newcomen ward in Redcar, and comfortably held their seats at the elections last week.

Chris’s Deputy will be Councillor Mary Ovens, also from Redcar (West Dyke ward) who is coming to the end of her term as Mayor of the Borough.

The Lib Dem Group will be chaired by Councillor Irene Nightingale, who represents Ormesby ward. She takes over from former Guisborough Councillor Keith Pudney, who did not seek re-election this year.

Cllr Chris Abbott, said:

“It looks as though Labour will now be running the Council. I look forward to making sure that they do not undo the good work that the Lib Dems have done as part of the ruling Coalition over the past four years.”

“We have some very experienced councillors and some talented new ones. I am sure we will be a better opposition than Labour were.”