Reading your article “Green Party joins community garden battle” (The Argus, June 21) one could be forgiven for coming to the conclusion that the Green Party had a proud record of action opposing the planned Tesco development on the Lewes Road Community Garden site.

The reality is that the Tesco development has been made possible by the inaction of Green Party councillors in the St Peter’s and North Laine Ward. Given that for seven years all three of our councillors have been Green Party representatives, it would be reasonable to question why, if they feel so strongly against a development, did they not do the job they are elected and paid to do, and raise the issue when planning permission was being sought?

At a Save The Community Garden public meeting in St Martin’s Church on June 18, when asked, Councillor Pete West and Keith Taylor [now MEP] claimed they did not know about the application at the time.

Every councillor receives a regular planning list outlining applications made across the city. Councillors are expected to read this because they are our eyes, ears and voice on the Council. Either all three Green councillors did not check the list of applications, or they chose not to act.

Action at the planning stage could have delivered a proper consultation for local residents and was our best chance of preventing the development which will damage the community and local business.

As usual, the Green Party has chosen to jump on a bandwagon and claim the campaign as their own when in reality it belongs to the hard work of the local community. Whilst Labour activists and councillors turned up to the protest, helped to advertise it and make placards, only a solitary Green councillor bothered to attend. Caroline Lucas, Keith Taylor, Pete West and the other ten Green councillors were a no-show. This campaign should be a community campaign, not a party political one, but by trying to claim it as their own the Green Party has exposed its inaction and opportunism on this issue and has done a disservice to the local residents who are working so hard to keep the garden.

To be clear, it was not Labour’s protest, and is not our campaign, but we will continue to support campaigns to save precious green spaces in whatever way we can.

Tom French
Labour and Co-operative candidate for St Peter’s and North Laine