SIR — As one of the members of the Hinkley A and B Stations Site Stakeholder Group, I would like to correct the inaccuracies concerning this group in the letter from Richard Cottrell (Free Press December 13).

Firstly, the correct title for this body should read Site Stakeholder "Group" and not "Committee" as quoted - a subtle but important difference.

However, more importantly, this SSG is concerned solely with the activities of the two existing power stations and not the proposed and as yet unbuilt Hinkley C - which appears to be the main focus of the writer's letter.

If this prospective MEP were to research this subject a little more accurately, he would also ascertain that this so called "quango" consists of members from many diverse groups and organisations, none of whom are appointed by central government and none of whom represent "construction firms" or "the nuclear lobby industry " as also claimed by Mr Cottrell.

In fact, many of these members are drawn from the communities closest to the Hinkley site, including the parish council of the host community of Stogursey plus the West Hinkley Action Group, which also represents the hamlets closest to the site.

Serving on the SSG are also representatives from other parish councils which are close to Hinkley, including Otterhampton, Stockland Bristol, Kilve, Fiddington and Cannington.

Other members include representatives from Stop Hinkley, the NFU, Parents Concerned About Hinkley, plus the Green Party – all in all a fairly eclectic group.

West Somerset Council, Sedgemoor District Council and Somerset County Council are also represented by both members and officers (the latter being non-voting members).

Should Mr Cottrell care to attend an SSG meeting - the next is on February 28 - he would witness for himself the detailed and often rigorous questioning posed by these stakeholders on a regular basis to the site directors of both A and B Stations and also to representatives from the Nuclear Decommissioning Agency, the Office of the Nuclear Regulator, the Environment Agency and the Food Standards Agency.

All of these SSG members are there to represent their respective communities and none, as far as I am aware, are "in the thrall of the nuclear industry".

Cllr Sue Goss,

Quantock Vale Ward,

West Somerset Council.