Council leader Chris Wells has accused Sir Roger Gale of being “utterly confused” after the North Thanet MP slammed the decision to reject a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for Manston airport.

The Conservative MP’s comments came in his column in our sister paper the Thanet Extra last week after all but one of Thanet council’s cabinet voted in favour of rejecting a deal with American firm RiverOak.

In response Cllr Wells (Ukip) said: “Sir Roger Gale claims that the airport campaign will win its battle. I hope he is right and we once again see a properly functioning airport at Manston.

“The trouble is, Sir Roger links his wish to the recent rejection of the American company RiverOak Aviation Associates as a potential indemnity partner in such an enterprise.

“In doing so he reveals, not for the first time, a profound inability to separate emotional enthusiasm from cold hard business logic.”

Cllr Wells questioned the MP’s support for the company.

He said: “He has supported their refusal to pay the costs of a previous attempt to become an indemnity partner. He believes a ‘serious player’ which offers a letter of credit and then withdraws it, should be trusted.”

Cllr Wells said that RiverOak failed to produce the necessary guarantees and does not deserve special treatment.

He said: “Sir Roger asserts that RiverOak Aviation Associates should have special access to the cabinet to explain their case – blithely ignoring the fact that happened under a previous administration, and RiverOak Aviation Associates still failed to produce the necessary guarantees.

“He demands the chance to press their case to a planning inspector, pretending he does not know that any CPO moves forward in the council’s name.”

On the subject of Sir Roger Gale’s claim that Thanet needs a leader and council who will give RiverOak the chance to prove themselves, Cllr Wells said: “To achieve stability and certainty on this, and many other local issues, we need a council and leader with the guts to ensure processes are clean and risk free.

“One that can do without offers of help from an MP utterly confused between the concept of saving an airport and solely promoting the interests of a US entity.”

A meeting of the Thanet District Council overview and scrutiny panel about the cabinet decision on Manston airport is due to take place tonight.