Kitty Usher hob nobs with mobile phone companies

[Mitch]

Mobile phone companies seems to be cosying up rather nicely to Labour at the moment. One local resident recently spotted a Vodaphone stall at a community event in Burnley.

So it's no surprise that Kitty Usher, former adviser to Patricia Hewitt, recently 'hob nobbed' with certain mobile phone companies at the recent Labour Party conference.

There appears to be some contradiction between local labour councillors, in Pendle particularly, protesting against local siting of masts, and the apparent pro-stance of Kitty Usher towards telecommunication masts, or at the very least her unwillingness to put across the feelings of many residents in this area who have been involved in campaigns against Masts. It's all money in the pot - did you know that for every telecommunications mast sited in Burnley and Pendle on residential streets, rents are recouperated by local government - an annual hefty sum of money. Well, local government must be busy now as 'businesses' seeking money from private sources in anyway they can.

This can hardly be called local democracy, and acting in the interests and wishes of many residents involved in campaigns against telecommunications masts in this region.

Some residents plan to question Mz Usher on this dire state of affairs and hold her to account on this issue. More later!

In the meantime, an article below makes interesting reading.

"The Social Market Foundation (SMF) has published its list of corporate sponsored fringe meetings at the upcoming Labour party conference in Brighton - and it will be business as usual at a string of wine-and-policy meetings with ministers.

The Mobile Operators Association is paying for a meeting with science minister Lord Sainsbury, where its director Mike Dolan will join a platform discussion on health scares in the media. Buoyed by recent studies showing no link between mobile phones and cancer, the phone firms want government backing against planning objections to new mobile masts.

Mobile company '3' meanwhile is sponsoring a meeting with culture secretary Tessa Jowell, Burnley MP and former special adviser to Patricia Hewitt Kitty Usher and Roy Hattersley."
omega.twoday.net/stories/991781

[michele cryer]

Thanks Mitch...very interesting disclosures...keep us posted please!

[Mitch]

A group of us from Together Against Masts (TAM) went to confront Kitty Usher last week on the railroading of residents by phone companies involved in many campaigns againsts Masts in Burnley and Pendle.

She informed the group that she officially gave her support Against phone masts, and in her words,

"Phone companies are just taking the piss". ;D

She did not disclose what went on in the meeting she attended at the Labour Party conference but informed us that she did consume a large number of jelly babies provided by the phone companies at the meeting. Us residents from TAM were really grateful for that bit of information

She did state that, I quote, "Constituents come first", and that she would give her full support to future mast meetings and campaigns, and would endeavour to attend a Together Against Masts Meeting.

We hope shortly to hold a large public meeting and invite Kitty along to put her support into practice. We also hope that residents from a large number of the local campaigns including Walverden, Barrowford, Worsthorne, Turf Moor and elsewhere can come together in a large meeting to challenge the relentless applications being put in by pernicious telecommunications companies in this area.

More discussions are to be held at the forthcoming TAM meeting this Wednesday at 7.30pm, Padiham Town Hall. All welcome.

(if ya fancy coming Michele I can pick yous up, but might want a rest as you're out Mon and Thurs this week ain't you chuck).

It felt good to at least be able to sit across from Kitty Usher and express my complete disgust with phone companies behaviour locally, and to be there with a group of us fellow and fellowess campaigners on masts - felt good somehow, a confidence boost!

It remains now to see if her support is genuine?! There are 3000 members of Together Against Masts in this area. Lets hope 3000 constituents come first!!