HAVING received Bucks County Council's budget consultation document, "Your Choice," we have no faith in the comments of David Shakespeare, leader of the council, when he states "we are also improving the way in which we take your views into account in our decision making" and "your views matter."

Whilst accepting that the bulk of the likely increase in next year's council tax is due to loss of government grant, substantial funds are to be wasted in Princes Risborough with the proposed building of an additional access road to the Upper School.

May we remind readers that over 1,350 objections were lodged in respect of this planning application, including those of Princes Risborough Town Council and Wycombe District Council, the latter authority describing the road as "unnecessary."

These views were totally ignored by Bucks County Council.

We understand that Bucks County Council is "now having" to pay some £10,000 for the small corner of an agricultural field to enable the road to be built. Expenditure on the road alone is unlikely to be less than £750,000, this for what will be a private and gated road, opened only for school buses for a maximum of 45 minutes in mornings and afternoons.

According to the council questionnaire, there are many more deserving ways of spending our money and we hope that the electorate have expressed their views within the comments section of the questionnaire, which has to be returned by January 24.

B D Hill & J Wilson

Residents Oppose

Access Road

New Road

Princes Risborough

January 24, 2003 11:00