LAST year he wrote to then Prime Minister Gordon Brown calling on him to help stop council bosses spending cash on the community stadium project.

Now, ex-Royal Navy man Rex Pawley, in his 80s, has called for a fighting fund to be established to stop the plans going any further.

And he has pledged the first £20 himself.

Mr Pawley, of Chestnut Lane, Hazlemere, said his late brother worked in Local Government in Birmingham and used to say:

“On big issues, it's important to have a lawyer, versed in local Government law and an expert in his own field, in this case, building on Green Belt.”

He said such an expert could help “find the weak spots in Wycombe District Council's argument”.

“What will it cost? Count me in, I will donate the first £20 to get the advice,” he said.

He claimed the plans would destroy the countryside and opposes £750,000 of council money being spent investigating it.

The retired printing machine manager said he knew it was “futile” to send the letter to Gordon Brown in 2010 but was “meant to be a wake up call” to “apathy” in the area.

He said the purpose was to “sow the seeds of dissent”.

Mr Pawley also said councillors such as ex-Mayor Cllr Darren Hayday who are opposed to the idea should have stayed on rather than quitting, in order to fight it.

WDC's scrutiny committee has told Cabinet members the 'very special circumstances' required for overriding Green Belt policy are nowhere near to being met.

The decision to move ahead with Wycombe Air Park, Booker, Great Marlow, as the best site, has been 'called in' to be reviewed.

However, Leader Cllr Lesley Clarke has repeatedly insisted plans are only at the initial phase in a process with many stages.

She told a meeting last week financial, transport and environmental issues still had to be looked at in closer detail and reassured residents talks will be taking place with those concerned about the scheme.

WDC has said the money being spent on the stadium investigations is not taxpayers' cash - because it comes from the capital budget, where funds have been set aside for large scale building projects, as it was for the Eden shopping centre.