Council must come clean on road work (From Witney Gazette)

Council must come clean on road work

4:50pm Wednesday 2nd May 2012 in Letters

Sir – The thing which concerns me most about your front page story (Gazette, April 18), about the council starting work on the Cogges Link Road, is that they are doing so before the outcome of the compulsory purchase inquiry is known.

I can think of only two explanations. Either they know something we don’t – that is to say, they have been tipped the wink that the inquiry will find in their favour or, if not, that the Secretary of State will overrule it anyway.

Alternatively, they are willing to incur the expense and take a gamble with taxpayers’ money.

The first possibility displays a complete disregard for due process and open government. In other words, to put it bluntly, it’s a stitch-up.

The second possibility displays a cavalier use of public funds at a time when we are all having to tighten our belts.

I invite someone from the council to confirm, through this letters page, that neither of these explanations is correct and that there is another explanation altogether.

From past experience, I don’t hold out much hope. We all know that they don’t like to engage with the public when it comes to difficult questions.

The Gazette has done a great job in recent years reporting on this issue. I would like the paper to put the question to them.

Tim Walker, The Leys, Witney