Letter: Gardens vote

The Union Terrace Gardens controversy has erupted again in Aberdeen. The Labour Party, which lead the new coalition in the city, now has a mandate to abandon the City Garden Project following the council elections.

It is clear that many voters in Aberdeen supported candidates who favour keeping Union Terrace Gardens.

They were utterly disenchanted as a result of the extremely cynical campaign carried out by supporters of the City Garden Project during the recently held public referendum.

The referendum result was distorted by hundreds of thousands of pounds spent on misleading adverts.

The cynicism persists in that the City Garden lobby still pushes the flawed referendum as “democracy” in the face of the council elections, where campaign spending was conducted fairly by law.

The Labour Party has the moral edge on the issue. During council debates, it consistently refused to accept the principle of the gardens referendum and voted against it on the basis that it was the 3 May election that should count on the matter.

The party cannot be faulted if it now rejects the City Garden Project.

Mike Shepherd

Forbesfield Road

Aberdeen