I AM prompted to write again about the persistent flow of letters from Elaine Bennett complaining about my role as a councillor on flooding issues in Northway/Marston.

Ms Bennett keeps implying that I have done nothing on these matters and that it is occasional appearances at meetings by herself, Betty Fletcher and the independent councillor for Marston that really gets things done.

I have been looking at my files. In January 2010 the city council commissioned (with DEFRA support) a study of surface water flooding in Northway/Marston. This was a few months after my election. I took up the flooding issue straight away. A findings report by Atkins on Northway/Marston Flood risk was published in December 2010. NE Oxford flooding issues were taken up by Oxford Area Flood Alliance from that time onwards.

It does take time to get action. Money for big projects does not drop out of the sky, especially in these constrained times. But I was very pleased to be prime mover of the unanimous vote of support of the £2.2m. scheme at December council.

Elaine Bennett implies that her speech to council a few months ago really got the project moving. It was already well under way and her comment shows a cavalier unawareness of how local government works.

To say a few words is never enough to commit an expensive project. The file of work I have done (letters, emails, reports) on anti-flooding work is large. Doing hard work over a long time is what being a councillor means.

I am immensely proud of making a difference in my ward. Riding on the coat-tails of other people’s work is shoddy and should fool no-one.

ROY DARKE
City councillor (Headington Hill & Northway)
Edgeway Road
Oxford