Fury as popular UK seaside town is mistaken for Croydon on Tory election leaflet
Arlington House in Margate was used in Tory campaign literature to represent Croydon leaving residents fuming.
A high-rise building at a popular seaside resort was used to represent Croydon on a Conservative Party local election leaflet. Arlington House in Margate, Kent, featured on party campaign literature distributed in Surrey and designed to suggest the Liberal Democrats wanted to build tower blocks in Leatherhead.
The leaflet states: "Don’t let the Lib Dems turn Leatherhead into another Croydon".
Residents of the block 85 miles away on the Kent coast insisted it's a fine example of brutalist architecture.
The leaflets were distributed as part of the Tory election campaign in May for Mole Valley District Council, which is controlled by the Lib Dems.
They show an overcast, gloomy park, with three copies of Arlington House looming over it with the Liberal Democrats’ party logo superimposed on top.
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Rosalind Dodd, who lives in Surrey but has ties to Margate, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) she was left a little confused when the flyer dropped through her letterbox.
She said: "Arlington House is a landmark in Margate and admired by many as a fine example of brutalist architecture.
"While something of a monolith, it is often photographed by professional photographers as its angular facade is visually interesting and the interiors have spectacular sea views."
Mrs Dodd added: "The photo the Tories used does as little as possible to show its visual appeal and design – nor does its photoshopped juxtaposition with bare trees and unkempt grass.
"It suggests Arlington House – or Croydon for that matter – is a jumbled mass of tower blocks on a wasteland.
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"I’m not sure if this is more insulting to Croydon or Margate, but being very fond of Arlington House and its community, I was a little put out that the Leatherhead Tories approved and distributed this misleading flyer."
The leaflet features Alan Gibbs and Tim Hall, Conservative candidates for Leatherhead at the May local elections. It bears the imprint of Dorking and Horley Conservative Association’s election agent.
Neither Mr Hall, who is Vice-Chairman of Surrey County Council, nor Mr Gibbs were elected to Mole Valley District Council.
The campaign literature states: "Don’t let the Lib Dems turn Leatherhead into another Croydon, vote Conservative on Thursday 2nd May".
Mr Hall declined to comment but confirmed the leaflet was authentic. Neither Mr Gibbs nor Dorking and Horley Conservative Association responded to requests for comment from LDRS.