SIR: As a former member of WCC Standards Committee, I read your report on the resignation of Cllr Kim Gottlieb with interest (Chronicle, September 24).

I obviously haven’t seen the documentation relating to the investigation by the Standards Committee but given that all three complaints against Mr Gottlieb were dismissed and that the report, while criticising his remarks at full council as “ill-judged” did not find he had breached the code of conduct, his assertion that the complaints were “vexatious” seems entirely reasonable.

On this basis, the report’s urging more training for members and officers should be taken very seriously before more public money is wasted and other individuals put under unnecessary stress.

In the wider context, it is quite remarkable how much drama the Silver Hill (non) development still continues to produce. I was also a member of the Planning Committee, when the earlier developer, Thornfield Properties went into administration having previously been granted a decrease in affordable housing on “viability” grounds. Henderson, the next deliverer, wanted to scrap it altogether, which was my motivation for supporting the Winchester Deserves Better campaign.

The recent complaints against Mr Gottlieb were driven by his acquisition of St Clement’s Surgery. Whether or not his motivation was to secure the continuing presence of a city centre doctors’ practice is beside the point. With recent changes in planning legislation, the dependence on private investment rather than councils for provision of social housing, surgeries etc will continue to impact major developments like Silver Hill.

Karen Barratt,

Byron Avenue,

Fulflood,

Winchester