Hoodwinked by some insistent officers, a number of Town Councillors have already given-in to the highly inflated estimate of what it may cost to do a trial layout of the proposed Chapel Street Pedestrianisation Scheme prior to its becoming a permanent feature.

The cunning council officers used this inflated price ploy to frighten off the initial request by our Town Councillors to have the project tested first to see what effect it would have on nearby streets, especially LORD STREET.

Now we appear to be lumbered with a railroaded scheme thus force-feeding our residents with an untried but permanent street layout that could prove to be a real disaster for our famous boulevard and its adjacent thoroughfares. Our Southport Councillors are once again losing their grip on the local decision making to out-of-town administrators, who seem to deplore any input on these matters by the townsfolk.

Our independent party, therefore, wishes to highlight a total lack of foresight on this very important issue and also to offer a voice of protest on behalf of the majority of residents who consider that town projects of this magnitude and upheaval should first be tested before they are finally completed. In the real world of common sense, most man-made schemes and structures are thoroughly tested out before being opened and used by the general public.

Why then do we have some Council officers becoming so alienated to this basic fact, even though they themselves wouldn't dream of risking their own necks by flying on a hastily built and untested jumbo jet.

“IF YOUR LOGIC IS SOUND, COUNCILLOR, THEN WHY DO SO MANY RESIDENTS HAVE SUCH SERIOUS CONCERNS ABOUT THE COUNCIL'S ‘NO TRIAL' CONCEPT?”