A CONSERVATIVE letter blaming the Residents’ Association for disrepair on the roads of Cranham – even though the highways budget is controlled by Town Hall Tories – has been blasted as “malicious and fallacious”.

A group calling themselves the Cranham Conservative Action Team (CCAT) – claimed credit for recent road resurfacing in the ward while also attacking local Residents’ Association (RA) councillors for their inaction, in a weekend leafleting campaign.

“It is shocking,” the letter reads, “that in all the years they have been representing you the Residents’ Association councillors allowed your roads to deteriorate so badly without fighting to get them added to the repair schedule.”

Chairman of Cranham RA and leader of the opposition, Cllr Clarence Barrett, was left scratching his head.

“As with all councillors of whatever party across the whole borough, we lobby hard for road and pavement repairs in our wards,” he said. “I understand there are limited funds available but it is the Tory Administration who are holding the purse strings.

“I therefore find it bizarre they should then blame the Residents’ Association for not having an adequate road resurfacing programme.

“This type of letter is nothing more than malicious and fallacious and is a crude attempt stir up disquiet among our residents.”

He added: “It is notable that the only thing the Cranham Conservative ‘Inaction’ Team have done since the May elections is issue this rather sad and tawdry letter.”

But CCAT member Tory Terry Monk defended his literature: “When we were canvassing during the local elections the main concerns were potholes.

“We know the people involved in the council and we were able to push for the local repairs. We think it’s something to celebrate.”

He conceded: “The Residents’ [Association] lobbying may have helped.”

Roads that been resurfaced in Cranham in the past year include: Moor Lane, Cranham Gardens, Fleet Close, Heron Way, Kingfisher Road, Macon Way, Nightingale Avenue, Swan Avenue and Wingfield Gardens.