Traveller sites protesters to fight Leicester City Council by-election - Leicestershire

From the Leicester Mercury

A protest group fighting Sir Peter Soulsby's plans to develop authorised Traveller sites is to challenge Labour at a council by-election.

Terry McGreal, from the LE4 Action Group, announced he would stand as an independent in the May 9 election for Abbey ward on the city council.

The 55-year-old, a director at house-builder Jelson, has been at the forefront of opposition to the mayor's plans to develop council-owned plots of up to 10 pitches in Red Hill Way, Mowmacre Hill, and up to six in Greengate Lane, Beaumont Leys.

Mr McGreal, a father-of-two from Beaumont Leys, said: "The LE4 Action Group has been campaigning against having these Traveller sites concentrated in this part of the city for about 12 months.

"We raised petitions (with 2,700 names) and people went to public meetings in large numbers to show how much opposition there was but the mayor went ahead and did it anyway.

"We don't think the mayor has listened to people in the ward."

Despite the Labour-dominated city council backing Sir Peter's plans for the Traveller sites, they still need to secure planning permission.

Mr McGreal said: "We don't want people to think this is a done deal because it isn't. We feel it will help us in the planning process if we have a councillor.

"We are effectively back to square one. The consultation was just a tick-box exercise.

"This is the first election since he (Sir Peter Soulsby) became mayor and it will be a commentary on what he has done so far.

"It will send a message to him."

Mr McGreal said although the LE4 group was formed on a single issue it had grown to take up wider issues.

He said: "People have got in touch with us on a range of issues, such as the poor state of the roads and that is something a councillor can take up.

"Over the course of the next four weeks, we will be going round the Abbey ward talking to people to find out their concerns to see how I could help them as a councillor.

"We have lots of volunteers. We think we will bring something fresh to the council."

The by-election is being held because the Labour member for the area, Colin Marriott, stepped down due to ill health last month.

Sir Peter said: "People in the Abbey ward are going to want to make a choice about who will make the best councillor for them.

"It's not about a single issue.

"I am very confident they will want to choose a Labour councillor, who will represent them well, like Colin Marriott did."