Letter: Wind Farms And Windbags
Below is a letter to the editor sent by Ken Hulme, who sits as an independent on Saddleworth Parish Council. I’ve reproduced the letter in full. If you would like to respond to the points made in the letter, you can either leave a comment below this post, or send an e-mail by clicking on the Contact option at the top of this page. If you would like an e-mail published on this website then please mark it as a letter to the editor, and I’ll be happy to do so.
“I was very disappointed when I read David Makin’s letter about the Saddleworth Wind Farm campaign in Tuesday’s Chronicle. I quite like David and indulging in this sort of childish personal abuse diminishes him in quite a few peoples’ eyes. I’m not going to follow David down to his level of argument – I think most Chron readers find it mind bogglingly tedious.
“All I would say is that the meeting he refers to which ‘purged’ me from the Saddleworth Moors Action Group (SMAG) comprised of just three Lib Dem councillors plus David and took place with less than 24 hours notice in Cllr Mike Buckley’s kitchen – I think that says it all.
“What I do think is important is to recognise the important role Oldham Council played in defeating the windfarm proposals. I know the council gets a lot of stick, in my opinion deservedly so, but when they do a good job I believe it should be acknowledged and not ‘written out of history.’
“The credit for the final legal victory over EON’s proposals has to go to Oldham Council and to the lead planning officer in the case Adele Heyes. I may disagree with Adele over many planning issues but I respect and acknowledge the terrific job she did for local residents on this occasion.
“Oldham Council (under a Labour administration!) also pulled out all the stops in hiring a top legal team to fight our corner. I think local MP Phil Woolas also deserves some credit for all his lobbying work behind the scenes. SMAG and their ‘expert’ were at best bit part players and at worst a liability when they actually lined up with EON against Oldham Council in the final stages of EON’s appeal.”
Cllr Ken Hulme
Author: Jude Gidney - Editor
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