Your reporting of the last Halesowen Area Committee meeting simply cannot pass unchallenged.

I have sat through some pretty stormy meetings in my time – especially when issues affecting Cradley have been raised – but if I was “muttering under my breath” (for which I apologise) then it was because I was being driven to utter despair that once again the generosity of the Chairman in offering members of the public as much opportunity as possible to have their say whilst at the same time keeping what remains a decision-making meeting of the Council running to the agenda has been cynically abused by certain elements determined to hi-jack the proceedings.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, it was distressing to witness officers of my Council who have offered their best professional endeavours towards addressing the needs of our community being heckled and abused as they tried to patiently and politely explain often complex issues.

Furthermore, had the Leader of the Council herself been sitting in observing every earnest attempt to improve the area being contemptuously thrown back in her face, she could have been forgiven for asking herself why she has pledged to make Cradley the priority call upon her council’s precious regeneration money when it could have been diverted instead to the grateful recipients of a deprived locality in her own neck of the woods.

Your reporting of the Committee’s grant allocations also paints a wholly unfair picture of the meeting. For example, in common with the practice for distributing such money one local community centre was indeed offered only half of its £3,600 bid because, in the interests of value-for-money, local taxpayers’ have a right to expect such bodies to show willingness to raise at least some funds themselves. Had the Labour councillors not rather childishly stormed out the meeting at that point they would have heard bids from groups elsewhere being treated in exactly the same, even-handed way.

Your report was right on one point though: Halesowen Athletics Club was indeed awarded £5,000 towards improving sports opportunities for young people. However, you failed to mention that this was out of a total project cost of £187,000 – the rest of this money the Club having valiantly amassed itself through a mixture of its own fund-raising efforts and donations from sporting trusts. Lest they be retreating into the old class-war comfort zone, I do hope those Labour councillors who would begrudge them such a fine facility are not dwelling under the illusion that youngsters in my town must all have stinking rich parents.

Finally, I would assure your readers that far from “looking down my nose” at anyone it has been my privilege through almost a quarter of century of public life to have put myself at the service of people from all manner of backgrounds – including many good folk from the Cradley part of my own ward. Even on those occasions when we have disagreed or I have not been able to secure the outcome they would have liked, they have acknowledged that I have been honest and sincere in my dealings with them.

Likewise, this Council remains sincere and determined in its efforts to regenerate Cradley - despite a traumatic downturn in the property market that has stalled development schemes there as elsewhere, despite budgetary pressures that have resulted in us having to review and relinquish certain facilities there (as indeed has regrettably had to happen in other parts of the Borough too), and despite the counter-productive antics of a small, if vocal band of protesters who claim to be speaking on Cradley’s behalf.

Yours sincerely, Ray Burston Cllr Ray Burston, Vice Chairman, Halesowen Area Committee