Reform MP Sarah Pochin is back, falling out with a wide arrange of leaders in the area she represents based on continuing to make “incorrect and critical” public claims designed only to evoke “fear and confusion” in those people she is supposed to be representing.
In a strongly-worded joint statement, Labour’s Halton Council leader Cllr Mike Wharton, council community safety chief Cllr Andrea Wall, and Cheshire Police and Crime Commissioner Dan Price said Reform MP Sarah Pochin had made a string ‘incorrect and critical’ outbursts about the town, but had not provided evidence for any of them.
Runcorn & Widnes world report on the nature of the claims she made. No surprises here, it’s exactly what you’d expect of her:
Mrs Pochin has made a series of allegations, including that houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) in Runcorn are hotbeds for serious crime, drug dealing, trafficking, prostitution, and grooming. She also claimed local people are ‘frightened to go out of their houses’ because of the number of ‘illegal immigrants’ in the area, and said the town had a ‘real problem with women’s safety’.
Councillor Wharton, leader of the local council, has no idea where she got these opinions from, saying:
…we as a local authority have to date never been approached for information by Mrs Pochin. Our communities deserve factual information,
Her claims to have seen CCTV of crimes taking place near HMOs are entirely unfounded as far as anyone can tell, with the local police commissioner saying that there’s been no reports or evidence provided of that.
On several occasions Mrs Pochin has stated to have seen CCTV providing evidence of criminal activity. To date, no reports or evidence has been provided to Cheshire Police or to my office by Mrs Pochin, despite the MP having had several opportunities to do so.”
Her claims that an increase in the number of people seeking asylum putting pressure on local services and housing is after the closure of a local hotel where they previously were housed is, you guessed it, unsupported by evidence.
Cllr Andrea Wall, executive board member for community safety, said: “The people who previously lived in the hotel have been moved to another region. Government officials have also confirmed that there will be no further increase in asylum seeker numbers in Halton.”