Wycombe District Council chief's anger over stadium 'lies'

Wycombe District Council leader Councillor Lesley Clarke hit out over an election leaflet photograph of an candidate at Wycombe Air Park, a potential site for the plan.

She said no site had been chosen and the leaflet, for Kavita Mohan, could worry residents nearby.

The council has set aside £750,000 for studies into the scheme, to move Wycombe Wanderers and London Wasps from Adams Park, High Wycombe.

Some argue public money should not help a private business.

Conservative Cllr Clarke spoke after being asked by a Liberal Democrat how the party could help the council, given the national coalition between the two parties.

Yet Cllr Clarke told Cllr Trevor Snaith: “If you continue to peddle un-truths and lies, I don’t think we could perhaps work with you.”

Holding up the leaflet, she told the council chamber on Monday: “I am asking our chief executive to look at this because I believe you have over-stepped your mark.”

She told The Bucks Free Press: “I was surprised that they had tried to suggest that the air park was going to be a place for the stadium because no-body has made any decisions.”

Putting forward a site now could ‘blight property’ she said. The council has ordered studies into using the air park, which it refused to release to the Free Press except one technical paper. They said information was commercially sensitive.

Cllr Clarke was angered by an article in an election leaflet.

Yet Lib Dem group leader Cllr Steve Guy, who compiled the leaflet, said: “I was a bit surprised by her reaction, to be honest.

“I think she has over-reacted or we have got them a bit rattled.”

He said the photograph was justified as the air park had been named as a possible site – and he had been told of no others.

The leaflet, for a by-election for the Great Marlow ward on July 15, opposes the spending with Miss Mohan saying: “Whether the stadium is a good idea or not the principle to me is that the private company involved should be funding their expansion plans not us.”

She was not available for comment this morning.

There were further angry exchanges across the council chamber following the question.

He pointed to the Government’s ‘Big Society’ plan of letting communities run public services – and urged the council to ‘grasp this imitative and deliver this vision’.

Cllr Clarke said WDC has a ‘long track record of working for and with local communities’.

But Cllr Snaith said WDC is an ‘asset rich council, having used taxpayers’ money to speculate and build up considerable land banks and property across the district’.

Residents could manage such facilities like closed Holywell Mead outdoor swimming pool and its neighbouring community centre, he said.

Cllr Snaith called for action on “shops, buildings, things that we own across the district, derelict and overgrown spaces”.

But Cllr Clarke said: “Sadly, whilst the standard bearers of the Liberal cause in Westminster have accepted the need for spending cuts, the Liberal Democrats still have their hearts in Labour’s camp of spend, spend, spend.”

She accused the party of ‘trying to win a quick popularity contest’ and pointed to Labour councillors who had joined the Lib Dems, showing a ‘complete disregard’ for voters.

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