UNDER fire council leader Lesley Clarke has insisted some of the rumours surrounding the Wycombe Community Stadium plan are “out of control”.

Up to 200 anti-stadium protesters vented their anger at the plans outside council offices last night chanting “Lesley Clarke out”.

Many fear that building a new stadium at the shortlisted Wycombe Air Park site is a done deal but Cllr Clarke refuted the suggestions.

And she maintained that councillors have not been swayed by proceedings and will make up their own mind at the cabinet meeting on January 17.

“Members will have made their minds up on the information that’s given,” she said.

“It won’t be one or two people pushing it through to glorify their egos.

“We have some very independent and very strong councillors who are not the type of people to be voting fodder.”

Fending off claims the council should have been more open with people regarding the proposal Cllr Clarke insisted that every effort has been made to include everybody.

She said: “If we didn’t want anybody involved we could’ve made the decision internally without consulting anybody - we have been open.”

The six-week consultation process – held between 17 September and 29 October – generated more than 8,500 responses.

And Cllr Clarke urged people who have criticised the process so far not to be so hasty.

She added: “I know what people are going through but until the have the full story, and I mean the full story, I think it’s very premature to make assumptions.”

“We reiterated this is the first step of it, and the first phase is coming to a close.”

The results of the consultation process will be presented in a Cabinet report to be published on 7 January.