A leading Stafford Councillor has this week described the delegation to London to discuss the effects of M6 widening as being a sell out for local residents.

County and Borough Councillor Barry Stamp said that the delegation, lead by the David Kidney, the town's MP should have included Councillors and not Council officials.

"I was extremely disappointed to find out that the much publicised delegation to London to tackle Government Ministers over the widening of the M6 did not include any Councillors who represented residents living in areas alongside the motorway. Instead the delegation is made up of County and Borough officers all of whom support the widening proposals. Since the news of the delegation broke I have been contacted by a number of residents from the Western Downs and Hyde Lea areas wanting their point of view to be put to Ministers. I am still not clear who took the decision at the Borough Council that only officers should attend, as this matter has never been discussed in any committee or has even been reported in writing to Councillors in general. I am extremely concerned that only one point of view will be put to Ministers, and that the wider views of the local community will be forgotten. It does seem that this delegation is in total support of the Government's widening proposals and is designed not to ask any difficult question," said Councillor Stamp.

"I will now be writing to the Leader of the Borough Council to find out how the Council's representatives were selected, and also to David Kidney asking why he did not invite local elected Councillors to join the delegation," added Cllr Stamp.