A KEY figure in the fight to stop the HS2 high speed rail link from passing through Culcheth has rejected calls to stand down after announcing he is to stand for the Conservatives in the May 5 borough council elections.
Frank Allen, Chairman of the Culcheth and District Rail Action Group (CADRAG) has been named to replace Dean Bibby who was forced to pull out of the race through ill health.
Mr Allen will join borough councillor Sue Bland and Croft parish councillor Val Allen to make up the Tory team to contest the Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft ward.
But Warrington North Labour Party have called on Mr Allen to resign as Chairman of CADRAG, saying his role as Chair of the Action Group was “entirely incompatible” with the Conservative manifesto on which he will be contesting the local elections.
But Mr Allen said: “I do not see any conflict of interest between my role as Chair of CADRAG and standing for election to Warrington Borough Council.
“As Conservatives we fight for what is best for our local people, our community, and in that we are no different from other Conservative members, Councillors and MPs. There is widespread concern over the Golborne Link in the parts of Warrington that will be affected. David Mowat, Conservative MP for Warrington South, has spoken out on numerous occasions against the Golborne Link.
“I have fought against the Golborne Link since it was first announced. The Warrington North Conservative Association has always opposed the Golborne Link, and I am selected and supported in this election by the local Association.
“I am proud to have been involved in the fight against the Golborne Link which CADRAG has been fighting on behalf of local residents, and I have been pleased that so many local residents have supported us. I look forward to continuing the fight within the Warrington Council if I am elected by the local voters. Far from using my role in CADRAG as a platform for seeking election to Warrington Borough Council, I see election to the Council as providing a platform to continue the fight against the Golborne Link.
“The role of Borough Councillor is an important and responsible one. It requires decisions to be taken on behalf of the people of Warrington, who pay taxes to the Borough out of their hard earned wages and expect good services in return. It also provides a platform to represent the local people, their concerns and opinions, and demand whatever changes may be necessary.
“If elected, I will act in the best interests of all the people of Culcheth, Glazebury and Croft.
A spokesperson from the local Labour Party said: “Frank Allen cannot have his cake and eat it. CADRAG is a non-political, resident-led Action Group which is working diligently to defend our villages from
the threat of the Government’s HS2 “spur” – which, if passed by Conservative Ministers, would devastate Culcheth and Croft.
“Not only is Frank Allen using his role within the Action Group as a platform for his Borough Council bid, he has an enormous conflict of interest which he needs to acknowledge as a matter of urgency.
“Mr Allen has nailed his political colours to the mast and is standing as a Conservative Party candidate. It is Conservative Ministers who will make the final decision on HS2, and a Conservative Government which is pushing forward the unwanted “spur” that has blighted homes and lives throughout our community.
“Mr Allen cannot say in one breath that he is opposing the Tory’s HS2 proposals, and then in the next announce he is standing as a Tory candidate.
Residents cannot trust him to defy his own Party’s manifesto pledges in the Council Chamber, or stand up to his Westminster bosses when it comes to the crunch.
“He has to make a choice – it’s Culcheth or the Conservative Party, but it can’t be both. If he’s going to continue with his grab for power at the Town Hall, then he must resign with immediate effect as Chair of CADRAG, a post which is entirely incompatible with fighting an election on a Conservative
manifesto.”
