Liberal Democrats vote for airport expansion

In a surprising reversal of their Party’s policy in such matters, the LibDems have forced through a vote in favour of a rescue plan for Gloucestershire’s pathetic little airport. Although they no longer control Cheltenham Borough Council, the LibDems won enough of the independents’ votes to push the measure through against Tory wishes. I don’t know how our one Labour councillor voted.

I can’t believe I typed ‘surprising’ – anyone who’s dabbled in politics for a while knows that the LibDem’s policies are as flexible as something very flexible.

I wonder if they’ve looked at their party’s web site which declares that: "All our policies have a green thread running through them".

What is mildly amusing is that the LibDems carried out a survey in Churchdown and found that "74 per cent of those questioned were in favour of keeping the airport". By a quirk of history the airport is owned jointly by Gloucester and Cheltenham councils and kept afloat by their council taxpayers. Churchdown, like the airport, is part of Tewkesbury Borough. It does nicely out of the airport through its rates.

The airport has been accurately described as a ‘rich man’s playground’. Its runway is so short that only light aircraft can use it and most of the flights are leisure ones. How ironic that the LibDems should vote to go on subsidising the wealthy.

I feel a letter to the Echo coming on ...