Nemesis (Letters February 19) prides herself on her accuracy, but gets easily verifiable facts and dates about City Council wrong.

In her last letter she says the Tories lost control because of the resignation of Roy Cunningham in March 1990 and that Labour controlled the council from then until the 1991 elections. There are four factual errors in that.

First, the Tories lost overall control at the May 1987 elections. There was no overall control of the council from then until May 1995.

Secondly, if she is confusing this with the resignation of the Conservative administration, she has the date wrong. This happened on 7 February 1990. I recall this vividly because I was catapulted, not unwillingly, into the chair of the Housing Committee at its budget meeting the very next day.

Thirdly, the immediate cause of their resignation was nothing to do with Councillor Cunningham. It was the loss of a vote in full council, which they turned into one of confidence, about Poll Tax collection.

Fourthly, Labour did not continue in office until 1991. At the insistence of the smaller parties, the Tories were back in the chairs from October 1990 to May 1991. Nemesis is persistently inaccurate on matters of simple fact. This hardly lends credibility to her more elaborate accusations and assertions.

Ian Barker

Deputy leader

City Council

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