A Government minister has been accused of failing to give a firm commitment to the future role of RAF Brize Norton.
West Oxfordshire district councillors and Witney's Conservative prospective parliamentary candidate David Cameron want assurances from the Government on the future of the air base in Carterton.
The base's tanker refuelling squadrons of VC10s and Tri-Stars are due to be phased out and the siting of the home base for the replacement fleet is yet to be decided. A rival bid to move the fleet to Boscombe Down in Wiltshire has been put forward by the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA).
Mr Cameron and the leader of the district council, Barry Norton, wrote to Baroness Symons, Minister of State for Defence Procurement, seeking reassurances about the future of RAF Brize Norton.
He said: "Her reply leaves three key questions unanswered. First, the Government will not specify the location of the air base. Second, the letter does not address the potential conflict of interest the Government faces as DERA is a government agency.
Third, the minister's reply falls short of giving a full endorsement of the Government's commitment to the future of Brize Norton.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article