IF Paul Stammers is to continue to refer to me in his County Commentaries, however irrelevantly, I hope that, in future, he will do just a few minutes' background research before going into print with half-baked prejudices.
1. We did not "wag chins at seminars" on the future of Worcester's housing stock when I led the council. I put together a potentially very powerful lobby of similar councils from the West Midlands Region and beyond. That strong voice was quite deliberately dismantled overnight when the Tories came to power last year.
2. That so-lazy word "junket" is just a cheap shot. It has frequently cost many councillors, including me, more to attend conferences than the allowances actually reimbursed.
3. Councillor Gary Kibblewhite is right; this "Tindie" administration at the Guildhall is hell-bent on pulling up an imaginary drawbridge around Worcester and, by not making the effort to attend a minimum of essential conferences, cutting Worcester off from other councils from which we might learn something (and vice-versa). It's an ostrich with its head in the sand - is it bone-idle or is it that it just doesn't care?
Finally, it is entirely possible, Mr Stammers, for committed and active councillors to carry out successfully the wider, Worcester-representative job as well as the Ward-representative function. It is not an either/or position; and some of us have been fulfilling that comprehensive role for years.
COUN DAVID BARLOW, Worcester.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article