THE Labour-controlled Cheshire West and Chester Council has finally done what the Winsford Liberal Democrats first suggested in 2011 and again in 2015.

What we said should happen to the shopping centre, namely that CWAC should buy back the lease from the MAR organisation.

This suggestion was derided by the Winsford Labour councillors on CWAC as moonshine as it would cost ‘over £40 million to buy back the lease’.

Now, having taken control of the council in 2015 Labour have finally come round to our suggestion and have bought the lease off MAR and at less than half the price.

Whilst I welcome the purchase of the town centre, I am puzzled by the assertion from Cllr Brian Clarke that this purchase ‘will not cost the taxpayer a single penny’.

Has he forgotten that the £19.75 million is the taxpayers’ money?

If in fact the money has been borrowed and not taken from capital reserves, where no doubt it was earning interest, who does he suppose is going to make the monthly interest payments on £19.75 million?

I am no mathematician, but by my reckoning at an interest rate of just two per cent, the annual interest payment will be £395,000 per year.

That is £32,916 per month! An awful lot of pennies.

Malcolm Gaskill.

Councillor for Swanlow ward