Democracy is a duty to be shared

Dear Sir,

As an Alsager town councillor, I've been interested to read the articles, correspondence and editor's comments on various contributors' roles in the White Moss inquiry.

Sylvia Dyke has deservedly been centre stage. She shouldn't be at all "embarrassed" by the attention this has received on your pages. Her knowledge of the issues has been encyclopaedic, her determination exemplary.

It is absolutely true, as she notes in her letter published on 14th December, that she is often the only Alsager resident who attends town council meetings.

She asks insightful questions and challenges us where necessary.

As your editorial comment points out, her track record in alerting the Chronicle to impending development plans has also shown great thoroughness and determination.

Mrs Dyke observed that the article which noted her almost "single-handed" efforts in opposing the White Moss development seemed to have "upset the town council Liberal Democrats".

Well, I'm on the town council and I'm a Liberal Democrat and it didn't upset me at all.

If anything, I was pleased to see her contribution recognised.

I'm sure other town councillors of all political parties and none would say the same.

In fact, I'm more than happy to acknowledge that any contribution I made was simply in a supporting role, a walk-on part if we are going to continue with the theatrical metaphor.

For what it's worth, I was only able to attend the inquiry for a short time due to work commitments.

I was glad to be able to do so to support both Mrs Dyke and Coun Derek Hough in what I believe were sterling efforts on both their parts.

I don't always agree with Mrs Dyke. I don't always agree with Coun Hough. They don't always agree with me. That's healthy and as it should be. This is a democracy.

Victories against unwanted developments are few and far between.

Mrs Dyke played a key part in this one in her own particular way.

Coun Hough played his part in another, Coun Hammond from Haslington (a Conservative) played his. This was not a party political issue.

As for my own role, all I did was to reiterate and reinforce the town council's opposition to the planning appeal and on my way out ensure that I found somebody who was willing and able to give Mrs Dyke a lift home.

All that said, I would have liked to have seen more moral support for Mrs Dyke, both from town councillors and from general members of the public.

Cheshire East Strategic Planning meetings, Cabinets and inquiries take place during the day and not everyone can take time off work or family commitments.

Yet there are plenty of retired people, and town councillors, who are retired who could surely get involved, even if it were only to give lifts or show support.

I'm glad there are people like Mrs Dyke who keep us on our toes.

I'm also glad that there are

"Jane Antlers"sent in this photo of the sleigh in Sandbach.

experienced town and borough councillors around like Couns Hough and Fletcher. They know their stuff. I'm also glad there are town councillors from my own and other parties or who are politically independent who work hard for their communities.

I would like to pay tribute to them and give my season's greetings to them all.

Yours faithfully,

(COUN) PHILIP WILLIAMS

Alsager West Ward.