Former Tory group leader Fred Pugh has told the council that he can't remember promising Mapledurham Pavillion £1m of council money. The chair of the Mapledurham Management Committee explained: "I'm getting on a bit, how can you expect me to remember all the promises I've made over the years? It would be like asking the rest of my party to stop making up policies on the hoof. In any case, Mapledurham is a deprived area and needs this sort of project to regenerate the area. It's been neglected by the council for too long on the specious grounds that the people who live here are rich enough already. It's not true. Some people have to drive around in a Ford Focus because they can't afford a 4x4 and others are forced to change into their whites behind a sight screen. Anyway what is £1m to the council. I'm sure that with a little creative accounting it can be hidden away in the budget somewhere so that no-one will notice or we could close a few care homes."

Local Conservatives have rallied to Councillor Pugh's side and have pledged support to build the F.W. de Klerk Pavillion in their upcoming manifesto.