Sir – I write in response to the letter from Mr J Whittle in last week’s Gazette. I would like to place on record that I think Robin Martin-Oliver’s The Space project is an absolutely fantastic one and would be superb for Witney.

I have worked very closely with Robin from the project’s early days and have given him all of my support and help.

Indeed, I championed his concept at the council. However, when I said that it was “a tough call” in deciding whether to make one of the council’s industrial units available, I meant exactly that.

We have a duty at the council to safeguard the income from our assets, in the interests of all of our residents. It is all taxpayers’ money, after all. We must ensure that we use all of this money in the best interest of everyone.

I hope that Mr Whittle will understand that there must be a balance between opposing needs. In the end, we had a business that needed our unit and we chose to rent it to them to help our local economy.

I would like to reassure him that I am absolutely committed to culture and the arts in Witney and have pledged my support to The Space and any other project that benefits our district.

I would end by asking Mr Whittle if he has seen the work we have done in restoring the old Bathing Place in Witney?

This is a fantastic example of how we are preserving Witney’s history, while ensuring its future.

Richard Langridge, Cabinet member for Local Economy, Communities and Culture. West Oxfordshire District Council