LETTER: We should support leader's efforts

In letters September 7, David Blackford, Ian Bartle and Vincent Foster all reject a northern route for the A27 but the public democratically rejected all the southern options in last year's consultation.

They are undermining the work of Gillian Keegan MP and county councillor Louise Goldsmith, who are trying to find a communal solution.

Ian Bartle said the Transport Minister rejected the ‘preferred option’ but the point is that local people had already rejected it.

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So Louise Goldsmith, leader of West Sussex County Council, set up the Build a Better A27 Community Workshops to discuss all options, north and south.

People from all parts of the district, different politics and various views are working together in a friendly spirit of co-operation to produce a solution that suits the people of Chichester and surrounding areas.

Then the Department of Transport and Highways England tried to reintroduce one of the options, albeit

with some modifications, that the people had already rejected.

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Not only that, but they also threatened to withdraw funding unless Chichester accepted the proposal by an impossibly tight deadline.

Gillian Keegan, our new MP, promised to ask the Secretary of State to extend the deadline to give the Build a Better A27 Community Workshops more time to find a solution.

We should not roll over and accept an imposed solution which may not be effective.

Instead of undermining their efforts, we should support Louise Goldsmith’s attempt to help the community find a broadly acceptable and lasting solution and Gillian Keegan’s attempt to obtain more time for us.