Mark Pritchard, said a “full financial audit” should be made public of all the taxpayers money spent by Telford & Wrekin Borough Council on fighting supermarket legal battles.
Mr Pritchard said:
“Telford & Wrekin Council have already spent between nearly a million and one and a half million pounds on legal fees promoting their own supermarket site. All this money is taxpayers money. There needs to be accountability for all this expenditure and a full audit should be undertaken and published for the public to scrutinise”.
A court case over plans for a Morrisons supermarket in Newport has been delayed until later in the year, it was revealed today.
Morrisons has been granted permission to build a new store in Audley Avenue but Telford & Wrekin Council and St Modwen is challenging that decision through the courts for a second time.
A hearing was due to take place at the Royal Courts of Justice in the City of Westminster on January 21 or January 22. But that has now been delayed, possibly until May. And the delay will have a knock-on effect for another supermarket application in the town.
A public inquiry over a controversial Sainsbury’s in Station Road is due to take place later this year but the Planning Inspectorate has ruled that it cannot happen until the outcome of the Morrisons hearing has been announced.