This week Mayor Winter has announced his final decision for the Finningley Airport access road.

The huge majority of people south of the M18, including those in Rossington favoured the southern route of those choices offered. Rossington has been begging for a through road for a generation and was promised an M18 access road in the ‘consultations’ led by the Mayor. In true local political fashion he’s chosen the northern route, which skirts to the north of Rossington from Rossington Bridge to Junction 3 of the M18. There will be no access road for the people of Rossington other than to go to Parrots Corner like everyone else – over the perennially closed railway crossing or the busy Stripe Road junction. Given the low level of the land at Parrots Corner and the yearly flooding, that junction is going to be huge.

Mayor Winter has promised to study the proposal to allow a route from Junction 3 to the pit itself to stop some of the lorries that travel along West End Lane, but the village will be unable to use it. He has also promised more speed bumps. Rossington already seems to have more speed bumps than people.

This new route will please the people of Bessacarr who, of course, are much more important than the people of Rossington since it’s a richer estate.

People who use public transport from Rossington to town for commuting could, if there had been a proper access road built, have been able to reach the businesses in the Black Bank area much more easily than they can now.

Rossington will remain cut off from the rest of the town, run down and ignored - and the mayor couldn’t give a damn.

Jan ‘05

Rossington Parish Council is up in arms not only at the decision of the Mayor to route the access road against the wishes of the people but at his reportedly arrogant manner in dealing with the Parish Council’s protest and his questioning of the leader of the Parish Council’s intelligence.

It is clear that there was no real intention to consider building an access road and as noted above, there never will be one. Caroline Flint, the local MP, will be suffering when the General Election comes round next May. She may well find herself tarred with the same brush as Mayor Winter.