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Council leader denies u-turn

10/ 7/2008

A WAR of words has broken out over the congestion charge referendum.

Council leader Alan Taylor's decision to publicly back a binding city-wide vote on the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) bid has been criticised by toll-tax opponents who accused him of performing a U-turn on the issue.

Rochdale Conservative deputy leader, Councillor Ann Metcalfe accused Cllr Taylor (pictured) of an outright U-turn after he voted down a Tory backed motion on a borough-wide referendum on the same issue in May.

Middleton Township chairman Cllr Peter Williams also said he was 'suspicious' of Cllr Taylor's motives.

It came over a year after Cllr Taylor switched to supporting the TIF bid after initially backing the Middleton Guardian's anti-Toll Tax campaign.

But Cllr Taylor denied backing a vote on congestion charging was a U-turn.

He said: "We have not performed a U-turn at all and we admit that in the light of Government announcement we must ask the public across Greater Manchester.

"I am offended that I have been accused of breaking a promise - that is not true. I am pleased to go back to public records to prove that I have kept my promise."

He referred to a speech he made at a full meeting of Rochdale Council in May in which he said he would not support a referendum until the full details of the TIF proposals made were made available.