AT the time of her death, June Cruse was waiting for the results of her inquiry under the Freedom of Information Act about why the town council would not support the appeal through the Law Courts to try to stop the building on Spring Common. The council i

AT the time of her death, June Cruse was waiting for the results of her inquiry under the Freedom of Information Act about why the town council would not support the appeal through the Law Courts to try to stop the building on Spring Common.

The council itself, despite the Act, would still not give this information, and she had appealed to the Information Commissioner.

June believed, I think, that Spring Common was similar to other local commons - Views Common (alongside the A14 near Stukeley Meadows) and Mill Common (near the bus station). Like them, it should have been registered as a common by the Freemen and town council in the early 1960s.

It wasn't because it was already looked on as an area that could be sold for building to make money for the relatively few Freemen left and the legal people linked to the charity.

People can surely write to ask that the council comes clean at last on all this, in the hope that what happens to the commons in the future is decided in a much more democratic way.

Despite seeing the greed and selfishness in our local life, June never lost her faith in democracy and people. Hopefully, one day the better community she hoped for, where democracy means something, will come about.

I hope her courage will continue to inspire the many people who knew her.

BRIAN SMITH, Elm Close, Huntingdon

* HOW sad we were to hear of June's death - a remarkable woman. Her ceaseless campaigning, especially to keep Spring Common free from development, set an example to us all.

June was a determined, unabashed straight talker. You were either with her or you were agin her. There will be a few in authority who will breathe a sigh of relief at her passing, their lives made just a little bit easier by not having to deal with her.

But most of us who knew June will remember her dearly, as one of those people, whatever your view of her campaigning and sometimes difficult ways, that made a mark on your life and on the life of the town - one of those people you just could not ignore.

I remember with great fondness when, as a town councillor, I was speaking at a council meeting about the preservation of Spring Common, believing I was speaking very much in line with June's views. She was invited to speak at the meeting and accused me of being too weak on the subject. That was June.

She campaigned with passion and vigour. The only fitting tribute to her will be for all those who supported her aims to keep Spring Common an open space to redouble their efforts to save the common.

Today, Huntingdon is a sadder place and a little less interesting.

DAVID BROWN, Chairman, Huntingdon and Godmanchester Labour Party