Tory U-Turn on Sixfields welcomed by Lib Dems

4.31.44pm GMT Tue 31st Jan 2006

Commenting on the decision of the Northampton Borough Council Cabinet to accept the report and recommendations from Overview & Scrutiny on the Sixfields issue Lib Dem Leader, Tony Woods, said, "By revising their decision and accepting Scrutiny's report the Cabinet have, in effect, accepted that they were putting the Council at risk of legal and financial penalties with their decision of 5 December. I am delighted that the revised decision now minimises these risks.

"Nearly two months has been wasted by the Cabinet's poor decision in December. However, the checks and balances have worked and we now have a clear way forward. We now need to get working very quickly to develop the planning policies to enable the very best development of Sixfields for the benefit of the town.

"I very much hope that that planning policy will allow the football club to realise their ambitions - but I am clear that the wider needs of the town come first. However, I can see no reason why we cannot achieve an excellent district centre and have a strong football club."

Note: The original decision of Cabinet placed the Council at risk of legal and financial penalties so was Called In by Lib Dem Councillors to protect the Council and the citizens of the town who, ultimately, would have paid any financial penalties through higher Council Tax or cuts in services.