In all my 60-odd years it has never ceased to amaze me how politicians of whatever size and colour can forget their principles when money is on offer. I speak about many, but one in particular who campaigned to save the town centre with her ‘Cherish Chippenham’ but is ready to sell out her own campaign for the usual 30 pieces of silver.

Councillor Melody Thompson has declared the proposed Range development good for Chippenham. Is this because of the 1,000 supposed vacancies that the development would bring, or the expected £1,000,000 in revenue that it could bring to her business 24/7 Staffing?

Perhaps she wants to be the only business left in the town centre!

And what about our illustrious town council, where nothing is ever their responsibility? They spent thousands on Cherish Chippenham, funded the BID manager, are sending even more thousands on developing the Neeld Hall, and they are supposed to support the town centre. Yet the councillors support a development on the edge of the town that will kill the town centre. It will be the last nail in the town centre’s coffin, and they won’t even get the rates, as it is not within their boundary, unless of course they move the boundary yet again.

If you support the Range on the A350, then you support closing down the town centre, so when the last of you leave the area, please switch off the lights as the town centre is dead. If you would like The Range, but where it will do most good, why not suggest to your council that they should build on the Old Police Station or The Bridge Centre, have the shop there and the distribution centre in one of the empty units at Bumpers Farm. That way we get town centre shopping, and 1,000 extra jobs, if there really are 1,000 jobs.

Don’t you feel cheated, as a voter who voted to Cherish Chippenham, now its leader with hammer in hand is nailing its coffin closed.

Alan Peterson, King Alfred Street, Chippenham.