Shapps quizzes Blears on eco-town costs

Shapps has posed two parliamentary written questions, the first on the costs incurred by local authorities which have a proposed eco-town site in their area and the second on how much the Department for Communities and Local Government has spent on the eco-town initiative to date.

MPs and Peers can ask government ministers questions for written answer in order to obtain detailed information about policies and statistics on the activities of a government department. Although usually questions are answered within seven days there is no parliamentary rule that states ordinary written questions have to be answered by a certain date.

The answer to a previous written question posed by the Shadow Minister revealed that the Department of Communities and Local Government spent £76,786 on the set up of website http://ecotownsyoursay.direct.gov.uk and £6,000 in maintenance costs.

These questions indicate the Conservatives ongoing scepticism about the eco-towns programme. In November, Shapps said "Conservatives have always said that we will lend our support to genuinely environmentally friendly housing schemes. But Gordon Brown’s so-called eco-towns have become an eco-con."

This current line of enquiry into the costs of eco-towns indicate the battle for cross-party support on Gordon Brown’s legacy project is far from won and gives hope to local community groups opposing these schemes.