Mayor accepts apology over SWRDA Director’s Bradley Stoke slur

Bradley Stoke Mayor Robert Jones has received a letter of apology from the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA) following the publication of derogatory comments about the town in a Bristol Evening Post (BEP) article.

SWRDA Area Director for the West of England and Gloucestershire Ian Knight says he had no editorial control over the article, which carried the headline “Don’t let new town become next Bradley Stoke“.

In a press release issued by Bradley Stoke Town Council (BSTC) on 2nd March, Cllr Jones reacted angrily to the article, claiming that:

“Mr Knight’s comments show that he is living in the past and he owes the residents of Bradley Stoke an apology.”

He added:

“It may have taken time to mature but Bradley Stoke has really come of age. As Mayor I meet many residents who always tell me how much they like living in Bradley Stoke, good people, who the RDA could really benefit from talking to.”

In his reply of 12th March, Mr Knight writes:

“It was certainly not my intention to slur Bradley Stoke as a place to live and I am very happy to be able to correct this point. The points I did make referred to Bradley Stoke when it was first developed.”

Cllr Jones says he has now accepted the apology and would be happy to give Mr Knight a tour of the town.

More Information:

• BSTC Press Release (2nd March)
• SWRDA Letter of Apology (12th March)