Ask Developments are a well-known Manchester-based property developer. In 2004 they made a sizeable donation to the Manchester Central Constituency Labour Party.
Today I popped into the Town Hall, and waiting in my pigeonhole was - amongst other things - a glossy colour photocopy of an article entitled “the true cost of congestion”. I assume it was left there by GMPTA Chairman Cllr Roger Jones, but I am happy to stand corrected if it was someone else.
The article is a standard puff-piece for congestion charging, and reads like it could quite easily have come from the pen of Sir Richard Leese. However, it wasn’t written by a politician - at least not a professional one. The author of the piece is one Ken Knott, Chief Executive of… Ask Developments.
Now, I assume that the reason articles like the one I refer to are merrily bandied around by the Labour Party is because it looks like independent and well-respected local businesses are in favour of the congestion charge. That is not the case here. Ken Knott is a Labour supporter and the company he leads has funnelled a substantial sum of money into the local Labour Party.
Don’t get me wrong, Mr Knott has every right to donate to the Labour Party, and he has every right to state his opinion. However, he is no more of a neutral commentator than any Councillor or MP, and local residents across Manchester should take his words with a sizeable sprinkling of salt.
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