Sir – For six months, articles have encouraged the local community to believe that Oxfordshire County Council (OCC) has entrusted the future of Cogges Manor Farm Museum to a ‘Cogges Community Enterprise (CCE) group’ that will take over the running of Cogges from April 2010.

In fact, the OCC rejected the CCE bid and has decided to create a new ‘Cogges Trust’ to run the site. The CCE steering group has accepted that this is a sensible way forward, and some have chosen to work with OCC to create the new trust.

The Witney Gazette (November 5, 2008) reported that OCC had been “inspired by the vision of the CCE group” and had decided to “hand over control”. The Green Party MEP Caroline Lucas issued a press release in December 2008, congratulating the CCE for having had its bid accepted. BBC News reported that councillors from OCC “have now agreed to hand Cogges over to the Cogges Community Enterprise (CCE) group to run from 2010”.

And The Oxford Times (February 10, 2009) has recently printed councillor Couchman’s view that the CCE would “bring different things into the site, which would never have been contemplated under our management”.

Other articles have perpetuated this misunderstanding.

OCC would like the people of Witney to believe that they have ‘listened to the local community’ and are working with the CCE to create a better Cogges.

The truth is that the CCE never represented the ‘local community’, and the ‘community’ bid was rejected.

If the local community wants Cogges to become a “centre for sustainable living and culture” they must act now to ensure that their voice is heard. OCC should also be more honest about its consultation process, and the community’s role in planning the future of Cogges.

John Letts Former member, Cogges Community Enterprise Steering Group Oxford