Minister Turns His Back on Sutton - Burstow and Brake

5.11.04pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 5th Jan 2007

Paul Burstow MP for Sutton and Cheam and Tom Brake MP, the Liberal Democrats' Local Government Spokesman have condemned Phil Woolas MP, the Local Government and Community Cohesion Minister for refusing to meet Sutton's Council Leader and MPs to discuss Sutton's miserable increase in Government grant.

In a letter to Tom Brake, the Minister Phil Woolas MP said bluntly, "we will not be meeting individual local authorities' delegations".

Responding to the Minister's written rejection, Tom Brake said, "I am flabbergasted. In previous years, Sutton very successfully lobbied Nick Raynsford MP, the then Local Government Minister, who accepted that Sutton had been discriminated against. He increased our grant. This Minister has shown nothing but contempt for Sutton's residents. His response will do nothing to improve community cohesion in Sutton."

Paul Burstow added, ""I am greatly disappointed that despite the Minister's encouraging response to my question prior to Christmas, that he has now chosen to snub the residents of Sutton and refused to even consider the case for a fair deal for Sutton's Council tax payers."

Paul Burstow and Tom Brake are writing to the Minister to ask why having originally indicated that he was willing to listen to Sutton's concerns, he has now performed a u-turn.