Sir – It is heartening to see so many of the Brookes’ hierarchy responding in your pages to the campaign against their huge expansion plans. They do read! Really abysmal, however, has been their almost total failure to answer any of the key questions posed. The word ‘misinformation’ has been used yet with a total absence of specifics.

Not academics, really, disinterestedly pursuing truth and knowledge; more like slippery politicians.

In the interest of the pursuit of knowledge perhaps they could ask their own staff a few questions about the plans.

We all know now that the local communities are overwhelmingly against them (cars, noise, over-population, hideous buildings etc) but do we know the misapprehension amongst Brookes’ own academic staff who are also signing our petition (or, in some cases, who would like to but feel that they can’t such is the climate of fear around)?

A few questions that they have put to us. Why is the fairly recent and functioning Lloyds building to be knocked down? A new liftshaft was put up there just a few years ago. Why not renovate some of the existing buildings first? Just what is to be put in the new buildings? What is the true final cost?

Why are business students being prioritised over the other ones? To illustrate this: control of the English Language Centre was passed over from education, its natural home, to business. Whatever happened to the idea of academic excellence?

Has anybody done a cost-benefit analysis of the effects overall on Oxford in general and the local community in particular?

Why was that community never consulted when the plans were being drawn up? Why were Brookes own staff never consulted in any meaningful way?

Why are many graduate students appalled by the plans? Why do so few of the undergraduate students know of what is involved? And whatever happened to the notion of accountability?

At least our MPs are now discovering what it is like when it operates. Bracing! But why stop with just MPs? They are not the only ones paid by the public.

Ken Lovesy, Headington