Important that people are given the full facts behind long-term plans

✒ YOUR article regarding the Cheltenham Borough Council meeting which voted for Boots Corner to remain closed paints a simple picture of a complex situation and positions as negative a meeting which had a positive outcome for Cheltenham.

The meeting was indeed suspended due to disruption. I can see why that is newsworthy.

But the real regret is that the public gallery left before the main debate started, presumably because opposition politicians had misled them about the nature of the business.

Had they stayed a little longer, they would have been able to observe a comprehensive presentation on the Cheltenham Transport Plan, followed by detailed discussion.

This means that we must have a road network that is suitable for those increases, and a plan for our town centre that keeps Cheltenham desirable for families and businesses.

The data shows us that a staggering 70 per cent of trips across town by car are under 2km.

That has a huge impact on pollution, but also leads to problems like the obesity crisis.

We cannot go on like this. Councils must show leadership on these key issues.

There is no alternative vision being put forward by opponents to this plan.

Opposition councillors did not submit any questions to this meeting.

Instead, we heard calls to go back to how things were and keep them that

way.

That approach may at first seem attractive, but it fails to prepare our town for growth, which is a risk to our future prosperity.

Among the political game playing, we also heard a series of half truths that added little to the debate, but we heard no alternative plan for the future of Cheltenham.

We of course welcome scrutiny from Cheltenham people and the media.

But it is important that people are given the full facts about the Cheltenham Transport Plan and understand that the processes being followed are all part of our drive to realise the ambitious goals for our town.