I HAVE met Alan Mason a few times, on friendly terms. So when he suddenly accuses me of having 'been asleep' at important council meetings - none of which he has ever bothered to attend - he's clearly acting as the mouthpiece of the local Labour party, despite their failure to get him elected in Abbeydale.

His letter (Advertiser, June 18) reminds me of the crazy mirrors you find at seaside arcades. It's a wild distortion of reality.

My pledge to the people of Redditch is that, for three years from next April, we will not raise our share of their council tax by more than inflation.

We can do this. We are determined to do it. What we seek is the necessary political support, in the form of an outright majority, on the new electoral boundaries next year, and beyond.

The county council sets its own council tax. Redditch folk now understand this Government has piled double-digit council tax hikes on them year after year since 1997 because it believes that if you're lucky enough to live here, you should subsidise people in Labour heartlands.

Funding for schools and social services in Worcestershire lags behind what is just or necessary.

I don't expect anyone to "bow down" to me. All I care about is providing Redditch with the vision and the facilities it needs, which my Labour predecessors failed, over 20 years, to provide.

While our political opponents moan and whinge, I'm busy building bridges with people in the community. My focus is on strengthening partnerships and building a consensus for action in our borough so that everyone can see the quality of their lives improving.

The time for sour grapes, for negative thinking and for saying "it can't be done" is past.

It won't do for Labour activists to claim the credit for what they failed to do.

What matters now is leadership, clarity of purpose, and teamwork.

Alan is capable of all these things.

He's shown that in his work with the residents of Dolphin Road.

That's why I hope he'll live up to his potential, lighten up a bit and be more positive in future.

Gavin Smithers

Council Leader

Redditch Council