I read with some amazement the story and the editorial comments, regarding the retailers meeting held last week.
For your information councillors from SKDC were not, nor were they ever intended to be, invited, according to the organiser.
The very least you should do is apologise in your newspaper for attempting to malign hard working councillors, especially the Grantham councillors of all parties, who work tirelessly for the residents of Grantham.
I can assure you that had I been invited I would have attended. The continuance of all the traders in Grantham is paramount to the future of our town, without them we would become a dormitory town which is the last thing anybody wants.
Coun Jean P. Taylor
St John’s Ward
I was disappointed to read in your editorial on page six that there were no district councillors at a meeting of the new Grantham Retailers Association. A fact that you intentionally highlighted in capital letters.
As a district and county councillor, I knew nothing about this meeting therefore I contacted the organiser, David Charles, to ask where it had been advertised. Mr Charles informed me that no councillors were invited and there was never any intention to invite them. Like me, several of my fellow councillors could have supported and attended such a meeting if they had been invited.
My colleague, Coun Richard Davies, was personally invited as he knew Mr Charles.
As chairman of Lincolnshire County Council I have made a commitment to do all I can to encourage business investment in Lincolnshire throughout the year and, I have already made contact with several business people that want the council’s help and advice to invest and expand within Lincolnshire.
I have invited Mr Charles to attend a business meeting which is to be held at LCC later in the year, which he has accepted.
On behalf of my colleagues at the district council, I ask the Journal editor to admit in this instance that they got it wrong and offer us an apology.
Coun Ray Wootten
Manthorpe Road
Grantham
Editors note: With two officers there, SKDC clearly was aware of the meeting, so why did no councillors attend? And do councillors always wait to be invited to meetings like this?
They certainly weren’t prevented from attending, so why not ask - details were publicised on page three of the Journal the week before, so it certainly was advertised. And why such a poor turnout at the Grantham growth breakfast seminar last month which councillors were invited to?
Having said all that, I’m pleased to see David Charles and LCC are getting together. Well done with that and apologies for the hurt feelings.