As newly appointed Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, might I suggest that Cllr Ian Jones seeks guidance from his predecessor, Cllr Derek Rowley, before making statements in the press regarding the borough wide ban on taxis in Sandwell and with particular reference to the car-parks in Blackheath Town Centre?

I would have thought that as a fellow Cabinet Member that Cllr Jones would have been made aware of the press statements made by Cllr Rowley on 1st November 2011 and 28th February 2012 which were published in the Halesowen News.....

Cllr Jones claims that council officers do not recollect any complaints? Perhaps I may be able to jog their memories.....

In the statement released in November, Cllr Derek Rowley said: “In view of a number of complaints we have received from shoppers and shopkeepers about the lack of spaces on council car-parks due to them being taken by private hire vehicles, we are now looking at introducing a new clause in the regulations banning them from council car-parks.”

At the time, I was a Member of the Safer Neighbourhoods Cabinet Advisory Team and spoke on numerous occasions to both officers and Cllr Rowley on the matter and thanked him for the work being undertaken by Highways Officers to achieve this end.

In February 2012, Cllr Rowley said: “Because of the number of complaints about private hire vehicles taking up spaces, it has been decided to ban them from council-run car-parks. Warning letters will be posted in the car-parks over the next month and drivers will be given a week’s grace after which tickets will be issued.’

So there we have it – The facts of the matter - so why has it not been enforced in Blackheath? If necessary, I will provide Cllr Jones with the names of the officers that I spoke with and the name of the Legal Services Officer who compiled the necessary amendment to the Parking Regulation Order.

I would hate to think that this decision has been made contrary to a Regulatory Order and perish the thought that it has been done for politically motivated reasons now that I am no longer an elected member?

Mary Docker, former Conservative Councillor Blackheath