Councillors forbidden to take part in market debate

12:11pm Sunday 1st May 2005

SENIOR Labour councillors prevented colleagues from speaking about controversial plans to revamp Queens Market.

A party memo from chief whip Cllr David Griffin ordered Newham's 59 Labour councillors not to comment on and to vote against two motions tabled by sole opposition member Cllr Alan Craig at a full council meeting on April 11.

Only Mayor Sir Robin Wales was allowed to respond to the motions which called on the council to commit to a smaller refurbishment of the market and to denounce a poll of residents and traders views as "unsafe".

The authority wants to revamp the 100-year-old market in Upton Park in a bid to increase customers, but traders and shoppers are worried about job losses and the market closing down.

Cllr Craig, of the Christian People's Alliance, called on the Mayor to apologise to residents.

But Sir Robin told the Guardian he refused to apologise.

He said the motions were a pointless exercise as Cllr Craig's arguments had already been debated and rejected.

He said: "He's an opportunist, his only politics is to oppose things. He wants to keep people in poverty. I don't want to get rid of the market, I want to make it better.

"We've had debates about Queens Market but he says the same thing every time.

"He wasn't bringing anything fresh to the table. Listening to him witter on is of no value.

"We will have further debates on the market when we have detailed proposals."

Cllr Craig said councillors were paid thousands of pounds to represent their constituents and express their views. He said he recognised the need in any political party for a level of discipline but believed a total gag was completely unacceptable.

In his letter to the Mayor, he added: "What is clear is that your party's dictatorial action has brought the council into disrepute.

"It has clearly undermined representative democracy in our borough and it has further added to the disillusionment that local people feel with politics and politicians."

Pro-change councillors believe the future of Queens Market depends on the revamp so that it can compete with shopping hubs like Stratford City. They insist they only want to improve the market.