I have been the Member of Parliament for Hodge Hill for less than two and a half years and have fought on issues ranging from reducing anti-social behaviour in our neighbourhoods to campaigning for new health centres in the area. But one issue has shown just how difficult it is for ordinary residents to have their voice heard.

There has been huge opposition to the proposed building of a Tesco superstore on the Brockhurst playing fields. But the city council plough on, regardless of local feeling.

From the start Birmingham City Council has waved through Tesco’s plans to concrete over our fields and take over the Fox and Goose.

Regeneration chief Cllr Hardeman told us back in 2004 that “Nothing is decided about this site – all we are considering is a draft Local Action Plan”.

I opposed that plan. It wasn’t what Hodge Hill residents wanted and I could foresee what was to come down the line.

Council officials told the latest planning meeting in December that the principle of building the Tesco store had been established two years ago in a local plan for the Fox and Goose area.

Sound familiar? No longer had ‘nothing been decided’ but we were being told that “We would be on extremely weak ground if we refused it now and Tesco went to appeal.”

This isn’t good enough. But it didn’t end there.

The council’s planning committee failed to reject the proposals when a tied vote resulted from two Liberal Democrat councillors opting to abstain. Two people, who have openly criticised the plans, did not have the bottle to stand up to their convictions and by not voting have effectively given the green light to increased traffic, loss of green space and a major threat to Hodge Hill’s local businesses from a company that has not satisfactorily dealt with local objections and who make over £70 profit every second of every day.

If this store does go ahead, there is no way we can trust this council to spend the money raised from selling our playing fields, in our area and on things that will actually benefit the people of Hodge Hill.

Nevertheless, we will fight this as far as we can.