[Gayle]

You might be interested to read my reply which I am just drafting to the Accrington Observer - remember, you read it here first!


In reply to the letter of last week ‘Bitten off too much’.

Firstly can I say that Councillor Hayes is obviously a very lucky lady to enflame such passions in an ‘ex’ husband, although I personally would have been offended by being called a ‘pit bull’, I can only hope that Cllr Hayes saw it as a compliment.

Thank you for bringing up the subject of my community involvement, as that now gives me the opportunity to point out that I have been Secretary of Oswaldtwistle Players, Co-ordinator of Hyndburn Women’s Forum, Treasurer of Hyndburn Mela and a member of St Mary’s RC Primary School PTA for a considerable time and certainly long before I had any political aspirations. You can hardly call that ‘showing little interest in the community’. Yes, I went for a post with the newly formed Friends of Rhyddings Park group but in the end was quite relieved to not get it as I will be quite busy for the next few months campaigning, because as you quite rightly point out I am dipping my toe in the political waters. I will be standing as a Labour candidate for the St Andrew’s ward in Oswaldtwistle, which is not actually against Cllr Hayes but I will be up against Cllr Britcliffe.

As for whether I have bitten off too much, only time will tell but let me tell you one thing about me, I am not easily intimidated.