Councillor branded ‘Labour loon’ after casting vote on controversial housing plan

Personal attacks on a councillor blamed for clearing the way for 770 homes on the edge of a village have prompted him to hit back. 

A development plan for Monmouthshire includes proposals for a 770 home site at Crick Road, north of Portskewett and 146 homes at Mounton Road, Chepstow among 2,100 new homes planned over the next 11 years. Half of the new properties will have to be affordable and detailed planning applications will need to be submitted.

Councillor Peter Strong used his casting vote as chairman to send the plan to the Welsh Government for examination as part of the lengthy process of approving it for use as Monmouthshire County Council’s planning policy. 

Unfounded 

The Labour councillor said: “A number of personal and political attacks on me have been made on social media particular in relation to the proposed development in the ‘Portskewett North’ area. I reject the personal attacks as entirely unfounded and stand by my decision to support the local development plan.” 

The crucial vote came after a near five hour council meeting ended in deadlock with 22 councillors in favour of submitting the plan and as many voting against doing so leaving it to Rogiet member Cllr Strong to use his casting vote to break the stalemate. 

His decision prompted a furious response on social media after Portskewett’s Conservative councillor Lisa Dymock posted an update on the outcome to her Facebook page and stated: “Unfortunately, in line with the council’s constitution the chair, Cllr Peter Strong, gets the casting vote and voted in favour.” 

Others commenting on the post called Cllr Strong a “little p***k”, he was described as looking “like a washed up cruise ship act” and “circus performer” and others called him and  “idiot” and “Labour loon” and questioned his motivation. 

Care

The retired history teacher, who taught at Caldicot Comprehensive, said he’s been involved in a number of local groups in Portskewett and Sudbrook as well as leading guided history walks and talks to the local primary and said he believes his record of “caring for Portskewett speaks for itself”. 

But he said while the Conservative group has opposed the development plan, that has been led by the council’s Labour administration,  he disputes claims made by Cllr Dymock it will erode the village’s “rural identity, and irreversibly change the character of our area.” 

Cllr Strong said the new homes will be separate from the village centre and said: “If the plan is fulfilled it will form a community in its own right and in all likelihood a new council ward linked to Crick rather than Portskewett.” 

During the council debate Conservative critics claimed the plan hasn’t taken account of a lack of local infrastructure, from already congested roads it’s claimed would be unable to cope with increased traffic, to demands on services such as GPs and dentists. 

Unrealistic 

However the plan could include a new primary school for the area as well as a village centre and Cllr Strong, who said as a Caldicot resident he is dependent on many of the same services, said the council is seeking to address improvements to the road network but claimed: “It is unrealistic to insist that all these issues should be ‘sorted first’. Infrastructure developments normally evolve alongside housing development.” 

During the council debate the Conservatives were also criticised as the plan they had been working on, before losing control of the council at the 2022 local government elections, had proposed even more housing across Monmouthshire, leading to it being rejected by the Welsh Government.

Chepstow Castle and Larkfield Labour councillor, Paul Griffiths, who is the cabinet member responsible, said the plan led by the Conservatives proposed new housing in Chepstow “from the Racecourse to the motorway”. 

The other main housing sites identified in the plan, which must now be independently examined before the council can be asked to approve it as its planning policy next year, are 500 homes east of Abergavenny at 270 at Dixton Road, Leasbrook in Monmouth.