Sir, I am delighted that the leader of the Vale’s Conservatives welcomes the start of the process of revitalising the Abbey shopping centre. His support for the process will help to counteract the negative views that Abingdon is a ‘dead, dying dump’.

It is easy, in the present economic circumstances, to see what is wrong, and in so doing, make revitalisation harder to achieve.

I join him in congratulating the hard working officers of the district council and those of Scottish Widows and their agents on their efforts to date.

WH Smith and Toys UK are the start of the good news; there will be plenty more to come in the next few months. It is inevitable that competition will involve some pain, but Abingdon is large enough to support both national chains and independent retailers.

He is right that Abingdon deserves an aspirational vision. This is what the newly-formed Abingdon Partnership (between commerce and elected authorities) is charged to develop.

However, a vision for Abingdon must involve a solution to the town’s traffic problems. I do hope that the leader of the Conservatives in the Vale will also be helping to realise the vision by pressing Oxfordshire County Council to put Abingdon’s traffic very much higher on their list of priorities than it seems to be.

Councillor Richard Webber Executive member for economy VWHDC