THE Guardian’s excellent front page last week about the Barons Quay financial fiasco clearly illustrated that those running Cheshire West and Chester Council have lost the plot.

What is even more frightening is that they now want to splash out £57million more of taxpayers’ money on another high-risk gamble in Chester.

What is it about these people that makes them feel that they know better than the professionals?

Lest it is forgotten, CWAC was given a precise warning about the prospects for Barons Quay in a detailed report prepared for property investors in Northwich in 2014.

In it the experts concluded that the scheme would generate ‘a substantial loss of circa £23.7million’. These are the actual words used in its conclusion:- ‘We therefore consider the scheme (Barons Quay) as currently proposed, incorporating all proper costs, financially unviable and therefore undeliverable in its current form without significant subsidy’.

Time has shown that the experts seriously underestimated the loss which now is probably close to £40million and rising but otherwise they were spot on. Needless to say, they were ignored by the council.

What a total shambles and a waste of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make our town a source of pride for residents that would have attracted droves of visitors and potential shoppers.

Finally, none of this would have come to the attention of the public if it had not been reported in the Northwich Guardian.

Liam Byrne Little Leigh