Green belt housing?: NO WAY!

James Berry, prospective Conservative candidate for Kingston and Surbiton, has issued the following statement to the local media:

The Lib Dems appear to be claiming that the Conservatives want to build 70,000 homes on greenbelt land in Chessington.

· That accusation is false. It is absolute nonsense.

o No Conservative Councillor or candidate in Kingston has supported any such proposal.

o I have not supported such a proposal

o And the Mayor does not support such a proposal either.

· The proposal came from a report by a think tank which was not produced by or endorsed by the Conservatives.

· It’s right that we need more housing – especially housing that hardworking people can afford.

· But Kingston Conservatives will not support housing being built on greenfield sites. I’m personally dead against building on greenfield sites.

· So as you can see, there is not one scintilla of Conservative support from Kingston Conservatives for mass building on greenfield sites in Chessington and it is misleading to suggest otherwise.

· I’m sure that the Kingston Conservative housing lead and the Mayor’s office will confirm this. When they do, I hope our side of the story will get just as much coverage as you have given the blatant Lib Dem smear.