I would like to congratulate Councillor Patrick Harley and the Dudley Conservatives on their conversion to supporting free parking in our shopping areas.

It would be churlish and unfair to criticise a party for agreeing with us. After two years of campaigning on this issue we are delighted the Tories have been won over and only wish this sudden embrace of common sense hadhappened earlier so they could have done something about it when they ran the council. We have some other interesting policiesonissues like free parking atNHShospitals, fighting the ‘Bedroom Tax’, leaving theEUandcontrolling immigration amongst many others.

I would be happy to show the local Tory party a copy of our manifesto to let them ‘borrow’ our ideas after all, they do say, imitation is the highest form of flattery.

Bill Etheridge Chairman of Dudley & Halesowen UKIP