SIR – As much as I detest the current government, I find myself becoming a fan of Eric Pickles [Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government].

It is high time that someone reined in on the draconian parking policies, excessive parking charges and pointless speed bumps, parking bollards and other street clutter which has become commonplace in many towns and cities.

The sentiments of Mr Pickles highlight the anti-car dogma which has been fostered by bureaucrats in many shire and town halls in their mindless pursuit of sustainable transport strategies.

The city of Worcester can probably boast being among the best at making driving into town unnecessarily time-consuming, costly and stressful and at driving motorists into the arms of internet retailers and out of town superstores which undermine the vitality of the city centre.

Perhaps the city council hasn’t yet realised that every pound collected at their parking meters comes at the cost of loss of business and economic growth.

Hopefully it will heed the words of wisdom from Mr Pickles.

ROBERT HARTWRIGHT

Worcester