I feel saddened to see Cllr Ray Burston stoop to low level political sniping of other councillors and yet give support to those who are out of touch with modern society.

The so-called support for Cllr Liz Walker was so late in the day it was hardly worth it.

Surely the public outcry in the wake of the closure of Cradley High and the 'Leisure Centre' would have been enough to let Cllr Burston realise his comments were not only in the minority but also outdated.

Cllr Walker's comments and approach to the handling, closure and the subsequent undermining of the local community were nothing short of embarrassing.

These ‘iron fist’ tactics may have been the methods used by heads of schools in years gone by but no more.

Cllr Burston, work with the community and not against it and spend time listening to people, not wasting it writing letters sniping at your opponents failings or supporting those who have no interest in the community.

If all politicians and councillors acted by positive listening and active speech – something that Cllr Walker would have done if she had been up to date in the educational system – then maybe there would be more positive outcomes for local people in local communities.

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