AT last! Councillor Geoff Wilson has blown the whistle on his own leader. He is prepared to answer the question she has ducked for months. The simple truth, which she is too scared to acknowledge but he admits, is that not a single MBI councillor asked about the Crinkley Bottom side letter throughout 1994.

Why has Councillor Heath left it to Councillor Wilson to admit to the truth? Because this exposes her recent campaign as a well mixed cocktail of hypocrisy laced with cant. She claims to have relied on financial protection from the side letter; she claims to have believed it was in force right up to December 1997; she wanted to avoid legal action with Unique and continue with Crinkley Bottom despite the mounting financial difficulties. But, according to Councillor Wilson, she never once thought to ask about invoking the terms of the side letter - the very letter we are asked to believe she relied on to protect the council.

Come off it Councillors Wilson and Heath! You were amongst the most fervent supporters of Mr Blobby. I voted for Crinkley Bottom and bitterly regret doing so. I have apologised more than once my part in the proceedings; so have many Labour, Liberal Democrat and Tory councillors. We have yet to hear a single word of apology from any MBI councillor.

To answer Councillor Wilson's question. Yes, I do believe that officers would have told the truth about the side letter if asked. Why? Because, I asked the former town clerk and I was told the truth - the side letter had never been signed. Now councillors should not have had to ask. They should have been told in a committee report and they were not. They should have been told promptly that the Pontin's sponsorship deal was never signed and they were not. These are rightly matters of great public concern.

Councillor Wilson and Councillor Heath go further. They suggest that officers would have given a deliberately deceitful answer to a question they never asked. Their whole campaign is based on this piece of hypothetical nonsense. The trouble is, I know that when the question actually was asked, I was given a truthful answer. There are serious matters to be investigated by the district auditor. These do not include the humbug emanating from Cllrs Heath and Wilson.

Cllr Ian Barker,

Deputy leader

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