KAREN Lumley was quite right to draw attention to Labour's failure to keep its manifesto pledge to hold a referendum.
But it's a failure I welcome and hope will continue.
Referendums are expensive and, in most, cases a waste of time.
No politician will hold a referendum unless they are sure of the outcome or feel the matter is not important, with very few exceptions.
Tony Blair and the European Constitution is a case in point. He doesn't dare hold one at the moment for fear of getting the wrong answer, while the Labour group in Redditch doesn't know what it wants to ask.
Council Leader David Cartwright says they have set aside £25,000 for a referendum in next year's budget. How generous of them!
They've managed to do this by cutting the major grants Budget by - guess what - £25,000.
They can't ask the people of Redditch if they approve of these changed priorities because they would spend £25,000 doing so and that would be cynical even for New Labour.
But the people of Redditch would do well to ask themselves if they want their money - and it's their money, not the council's - squandered in this way instead of being used to support one or more of the valuable voluntary organisations in the town, such as the CAB, Where Next?, Victim Support, Redditch Nightstop, YMCA, Age Concern, Credit Union etc.
Councillor ANTONIA PULSFORD
High Street
Feckenham
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