NOTHING WAS CLARIFIED

I HAVE to respond to Alyson Barnes’s comments (Letters, July 12) about my letter to the Free Press (June 28).

Regular readers will note that I have previously asked her to explain through the Free Press many of the questions I have asked.

Her choice of words are rather confusing as she sought to “clarify”.

Sadly she was clarifying nothing, as nothing had been said, from either the official or the councillors present.

What we now know is that after four years Rossendale Council have not got a single tenant for either the bus station or for phase 2 and they are going to go back to the drawing board.

In the planning consent which Councillor Barnes refers to, readers will recall she promised the public of Rossendale that a worldwide recognised hotel chain would be operating the hotel. That now is history. No hotel. No cinema.

Interesting that she says parking will be reviewed in September.

Groundhog day or Councillor Barnes kicking the can down the street?

RFP readers will recall that way back in October 2016 she told a Community Forum that parking was being looked at, including options for long stay.

In her report to Cabinet in November 2016 she said “A feature of Phase 1 (bus station) is improvement to parking facilities in the town centre – options are to be developed to maximise use of parking facilities... the views of residents, local businesses and partners will be sought as a strategy is developed over the first half of 2017...”

She keeps blaming Government funding for a lack of cash.

But she constantly fails to mention the AAAW Empty homes fiasco she presided over which has cost in excess of £6.2 Million to date, and not yet finalised.

Do you think she will answer this?

Watch this space. Michael Pickup Newchurch Road, Rawtenstall