| Responding to the news that the public have overwhelmingly backed the scheme to improve the Market Place in Newbury Cllr Roger Hunneman (Lib Dem, Newbury Victoria), commented:
"This exercise, forced on the Council by the Conservatives, has caused a costly delay to the scheme. Taxpayers will now have to foot the bill for the thousands of extra pounds wasted by the Conservative administration on this exercise. The public and most businesses overwhelmingly back planned improvements to Newbury town centre and told us this when we commissioned the Newbury 2025 Vision.
"The results of this consultation demonstrate that Newbury's new Conservative MP, who opposed the scheme, is totally out of touch with ordinary people he claimed to the press that 99% of the people he spoke to opposed the planned improvements – in the real world the survey has shown that 76% of the respondents are in favour of the scheme going ahead!
"I urge the Conservatives to put their splits aside and work with us, listening to the clear will of local people, AND get on with improving our town centre without further delay." | 
