Airport row rumbles on

Lee Jameson, the prospective Labour MP for St Austell and Newquay, has blasted the county council’s decision to place John Mills in charge of the inquiry in to Newquay Airport’s closure last month.

Jameson told Business Cornwall: “The inquiry being conducted into the closure of Newquay Airport is a disgrace and a waste of yet more taxpayers’ money. John Mills will not be seen as an independent steward for this inquiry. He was after all CEO of the council not so long ago.
 
“But then the inquiry has been welcomed by Stephen Gilbert, the Liberal Democrat candidate for St Austell & Newquay. And that fact tells you all you need to know.
 
“This is clearly not a man worried about the views of people in Cornwall or their right to a credible inquiry for their money. This is not a man worried that the councillors, his fellow Lib Dem party members, will be blamed for screwing up the single biggest responsibility they had at that time. Or for failing to put any contingency plan in place.
 
“This is a man who himself already blamed the RAF and the Government. The usual Lib Dem spin to get themselves off the hook. ”
 
Jude Robinson, Labour’s PPC for Camborne, Redruth and Hayle echoed: “I am horrified at David Whalley’s decision to put John Mills in charge of the airport inquiry. This smacks of old boys’ networks and more.

“This inquiry will have no credibility – if it comes up with no serious errors, it will be laughed out of the county.  Millions of pounds in taxpayers’ money have gone into this airport, the closure was a fiasco, more bills will be coming in and people deserve better accountability than this – I am really steaming.”