Councillors battling to get “homes for heroes” in Birmingham have cranked up their campaign.
Members of Edgbaston District Committee have repeated their invitation to the council cabinet member in charge of the project to attend their next meeting and explain why he scrapped the project.
Land in Bartley Green had been set aside for the council’s charity, The Alderson Trust, to build houses which would be handed over to wounded servicemen and women.
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It had been proposed under the previous Conservative-Liberal Democrat administration, but last year Labour announced that traditional council houses would be built on the plot instead.
Councillors on the Edgbaston committee invited Coun Tahir Ali, whose development, jobs and skills cabinet post includes housing, to explain the U-turn.
He did not attend two previous meetings, or the most recent one on Monday.
At Monday’s meeting, committee chairman, Coun Bruce Lines, said Coun Ali had sent his apologies, informing them that he could not attend “due to other commitments”.
Coun Lines said: “He’s told me he will be attending a future meeting, but I’m not sure when.”
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Work has now started on the site in Loftus Close, with council houses being built.
A spokesman for Coun Ali said he was unable to attend January’s meeting because he was at an “away day” with cabinet colleagues to discuss the council budget, which took priority.
“He told the committee on December 20 he would be unable to attend January’s meeting and the committee knew this so extended the invitation to the March meeting,” he said.
Previously, Coun Ali had stated the Bartley Green project was scrapped because the Alderson Trust did not have sufficient funds.
But he said he was still committed to “homes for heroes” and was building 60 such properties in Longbridge and Kings Norton.