Cllr Belinda Donovan of Addison Ward gave the following speech to last night’s council meeting

As this is the first time I have spoken at Full Council since the Local Elections I would like to start by thanking the residents of Addison Ward for voting me in as one of their local Councillors for a third term of Office and giving me the opportunity to continue to work hard on their behalf, it has been the greatest pleasure and privilege to work alongside such a wonderful community since 2006 and I really thank you all from the bottom of my heart for voting for me.

I also want to congratulate my previous Councillor colleague, Alex Chalk who has just been elected as MP for Cheltenham.

Residents who live on Sulgrave Road have been devastated to be told by Thames Water that they want to construct a bore hole on Council land almost touching local residents homes in the vicinity, the crazy idea by Thames Water of putting a bore hole here, would cause maximum disruption to the local community, especially as it is so near to a local School, Lena Gardens School.  This  proposed bore hole would also, if it were to be constructed, clog up Sulgrave Road and other roads nearby for many many months.

At a meeting with local residents Thames Water admitted much to everyone’s horror that Compulsory Purchase was an option, and since then Sulgrave Road residents have spent every waking moment involved in a magnificent  campaign to fight Thames Water from putting this bore hole in this proposed site, which is about the worst and most disruptive place possible and shows total disdain for local residents.

A Meeting was held between the Council and Thames Water recently and I ask please that Sulgrave residents should be privy to these Minutes in the name of transparency.

I ask that this Administration give me their utmost assurance that they will fight as hard as they can against this proposed Compulsory Purchase which if it is allowed to go through will have disastrous consequences to the way that residents of Sulgrave Road are able to live their lives, indeed the whole local community and the surrounding area will be left in complete chaos’