I AM writing in response to the letter from Councillor John Hodgkinson and your article on the public meeting on July 24.

As Mr Hodgkinson is aware, if this development does go ahead the only piece of green open public space left in the Jubilee Ward will be the small green on Thornton Gate.

His proposals for children to play on a beach (which is only cleaned during the tourist season) are totally preposterous. How far would the children get on a skateboard? How many young children would be at serious risk from the sea as the tide comes in and as for the excitement of the beach? Who knows what they may find there to liven up their day, maybe an oil drum or even a dead animal or body.

As for Mr Hodgkinson accusing Wayne and Penny Martin of interfering in other wards, I was under the illusion that all WBC councillors were there to speak for the people and to manage the property and land of Wyre, which belongs to the people of Wyre, in such a way as to give the people improved facilities which they require. Unfortunately Cllrs Hodgkinson and Mr Heppenstall have attended meetings where the whole of the local population are invited. The meeting at the United Reform Church Hall was instigated by local residents and action groups who unfortunately were not well-versed in organising this type of meeting but for which Penny Martin offered her services to organise a hall.

This gave the other councillors from WBC the opportunity to claim it was a 'political' meeting and therefore use this excuse not to attend and have to answer difficult questions. The only meetings that Mr Hodgkinson has attended were a closed meeting organised by The Waters Reach Residents Association and a closed meeting organised by Councillor Vincent at the Civic Centre.

Mr Heppenstall unfortunately has not seen fit to grace any of these meetings with his presence nor has he seen fit to reply to my correspondence. Local councillors wish to be seen to be looking after the best interests and welfare of their local community, as they should be, then they should be willing to stand up and be counted and face their responsibilities. Regarding Councillor Vincent's comments about the meeting at the church I'd like to state that, to my knowledge, there has not been a public meeting regarding this proposed development. The meeting at the Frank Townsend Centre was in fact a closed meeting organised by the Waters Reach Residents Association to which the public who were not members were not invited and where the councillors present along with a council officer and the developer all agreed to attend a public meeting to be organised in the near future by the local residents of Cleveleys. Because of this promise many people who had not been invited, but attended the meeting at the Frank Townsend Centre, left.

Unfortunately those promises were not kept.

The meeting on Friday July 18 at the United Reform Church on Rossall Road was not a public slanging match, it was an articulate discussion. I would hope that he would make a public apology for his comments insinuating that the people present at that meeting would be mob like and not be able to control their emotions.

Peter Maxwell

Green Drive Cleveleys