A SENIOR Tory has hit back at claims he lacks 'understanding' on the community stadium proposal and branded the way it is being dealt with 'cack-handed'.

Former Chairman of Buckinghamshire County Council Cllr Bob Woollard has reacted angrily to comments from fellow Conservative Cllr Tony Green.

It follows Cllr Woollard's damning assessment of the plans for a new stadium in Booker, Great Marlow last week.

Cllr Green, Deputy Leader of Wycombe District Council, claimed yesterday Cllr Woollard should find out more before making 'random comments', while Leader Cllr Lesley Clarke said his attack was 'ill informed'.

Ex-Wycombe Conservative Association Chairman Cllr Woollard called it a “silly comment”.

He said: “What planet is Tony on?

"If Tony Green and Lesley Clarke think no one else in the world knows what's going on well I'm sorry they're in for a big shock, everyone is talking about this.”

He said knew “exactly what was going on” through conversations with many district councillors.

“If they are not burying their heads in the sand let's have an open and transparent discussion over this,” he said.

“If they think anyone has not got all the information let's have it all out in the open, invite all county councillors in to study what they have got and haven't shown us to date.

“As far as I'm aware there have not been in-depth discussions with county which there should have been.” Cllr Green said discussions had been taking place between the councils.

Cllr Woollard lambasted the possibility of building on Green Belt.

“All of us have emphatically said we would defend Green Belt land, that has been Conservative policy in consecutive elections,” he said.

He claimed County Hall would face an unaffordable bill of millions of pounds to improve the roads around Wycombe Air Park if the stadium were built there.

He said: “If you or I or anyone went to a bank to fund this project, what is the first thing they would say? How much does it cost?

“They may only be looking at their costs (WDC) but I'm saying hang on a minute there are other costs, whose going to pay for those?”

He said: “I tell you this would not happen at County. It's not for me to tell them how to do the business but it does seem a cack-handed way of handling it in my humble opinion.”

Cllr Woollard will chair a new committee to monitor developments on the stadium proposal.

It is a sub-group of the South West Chilterns & Marlow Local Area Forum – comprising councillors from all levels of the political pyramid.

He added he could not understand why the plans were being taken forward in what seemed “such a rush”.

WDC have insisted the plans are only at an early stage and the business case is still to be investigated.