THE comeback of Robin King on your letters page (Advertiser, October 10) shows the secretary of Redditch Labour Party is still at the heart of the defence of that occasional football team.

Robin's assertion that starting a petition 'smacks of extreme egotism' is a kick aimed at the Liberal Democrats. And it's true any new bus operator in Redditch will have to overtake the bandwagon they parade through a few parts of the borough.

How narrowly partisan the Lib Dems are is clear from their failure to dignify the ward boundary review with any sort of play of their own.

But what's inconvenient for Robin is that his own MP has been shouting in the local press that she too would be collecting signatures on her own petition about buses.

And, sadly, she has form on this.

Before the 1997 election, she petitioned to 'save our Crown post office' when it was blindingly obvious the financial terms were such that the Redditch Post Office would stay put.

She's now graduated to the 'virtual petition'. In exhorting Redditch parents to write to her pleading for more money for our schools, she knows that - as in previous years - the spending assessment for Worcestershire, which is near the bottom of Labour's list, will be topped up with an emergency grant in the new year.

I can promise your readers there is a way of securing a more participatory and partnership-based approach to the issues we face. With greater breadth of vision on how we promote the borough to employers, how we build our community and how we make Redditch a place we're proud to live in, my colleagues and I are committed to breaking the cycle of decline the Labour Group has presided over these last 20 years.

The opportunity is coming soon.

Councillor Gavin Smithers

Deputy Leader

Conservative Group

Redditch Borough Council