YET again I have to warn Citizen readers to not to believe anything Mr Michael Jackson says about the Labour Party in general or me in particular.

The sage of Hest Bank has never been one to let facts get in the way of his opinions and vendettas - and his latest letter on the Heysham M6 Link is yet another example.

Neither the city council Labour group nor I have reneged on our manifestos in supporting the Northern Link. I have not given any public support to the western route for very many years.

At the 2003 council elections, the Labour manifesto said that we needed a link. It deliberately gave no firm commitment to a route but repeated our long-standing preference for a western route and said that we would be guided by the environmental impact assessment.

Since that assessment decisively favours the northern route our current support for it is entirely in line with our manifesto.

Cllr Ian Barker, leader, Lancaster City Council.