Labour councillor Gill Mitchell’s letter to The Argus of April 24 about the proposed housing development at Meadow Vale in Ovingdean made interesting reading but was more like a work of fiction than a balanced account of the facts – smoke screens come to mind.

If she had checked with her Labour colleagues at the Save Our Deans rally against the proposed development, also attended by Simon Kirby MP, she would have known that the statement I made was in support of all residents as a city councillor.

We can all sling mud but it is sad that Labour is choosing to play party politics over this issue, which is so important to residents.

In 2002 the then-Labour administration, of which she was a member, removed Meadow Vale from the proposed boundaries of the South Downs National Park.

The Labour Government-appointed inspector at the time agreed and Meadow Vale was excluded from the National Park.

It is the 2002 Labour administration’s actions which now make Meadow Vale so vulnerable.

As Coun Mitchell well knows, by the time the Conservatives took over the running of the council in 2007 it was too late for us to be arguing for swathes of the urban fringe to be put back into the National Park.

And her claims about the City Plan do not stack up either.

Unlike her Labour Group, the Conservatives didn’t support the Green’s Party’s plan precisely because we felt that the new house building numbers – 11,300 – were too high and that, to ensure an appropriate level of development in the city, greater efforts should be made to look at brownfield sites before looking at valuable green spaces.

If she had agreed with us and got that figure reduced then there would now be greater justification for the Meadow Vale plans to be thrown out.

However, if Coun Mitchell is now saying she is supporting the residents against development on Meadow Vale, I am delighted to welcome her on board the campaign.

Perhaps she could also confirm whether she is speaking for all her Labour colleagues on the council?

Councillor Mary Mears, Conservative, Rottingdean Coastal ward, Brighton and Hove City Council