DEAR EDITOR -- Why is it that every time you run a story on St Chad's Recreation ground, Rubery, it is one-sided?

Recent articles in the Advertiser/Messenger were 'Children left with nothing to play on' and 'Fears over play equipment.'

On both occasions, no one from Bromsgrove District Council was available for comment. No one, between May 7 and May 28, from the entire 'organisation' known as the district council. Well, that's amazing!

Why is it that if you write to the head of recreation and tourism facilities, expressing concerns, that there is no one within Bromsgrove District Council who can reply?

Why was it that the children's play area was removed, but the vandalised skate ramp left?

The answer to the first and the second question is the council is not bothered about anything in Rubery. The answer to the third question is that the council has refused to keep the anti-social/drug and alcohol abusers off New Road.

See it as a piece of flypaper. Imagine a nice warm Friday evening with dozens of 14-year-old girls and boys, drunk and stoned, having a ball, decorating the area with colourful taggin', pulling down lampposts, pulling up benches, even attacking old oak trees.

"There's nothing else to do and it's a laugh!"

Containment makes policing easier - "We know where they are." Yes - and so do the residents!

For further information, do take a walk in the park. Take your kids with you. Sit on the nice benches. Speak to Clive (the litter collector) and help him pick up hypodermics around the "Gateway to the Lickey Hills," discarded after a heroin fix. Failing that, keep your eyes closed and pretend that bad things happen miles away.

Thank you once again the Advertiser/Messenger for raising this issue. As the council are currently installing CCTV (and using diggers in the park at 7.30 in the morning suggesting some kind of urgency - perhaps they can issue a statement in time for the next Advertiser) they must already have an artist's impression and an idea of what is going where.

Thank you Bromsgrove District Council for involving and keeping residents up to speed and also approaching the task in a serious and professional manner. Keep up the good work in Bromsgrove, forget about the District!

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