DELAYS by Redditch Council in making decisions about the future of the market are condemning it to a lingering death.

Market traders tell me that since the move from Church Green to the new site, trade has dropped by 70 per cent. Many stalls are now empty for much of the week.

The Tory-led council should get a grip of the situation and take decisive action.

Instead of that, we had a fudge drawn up to allow a few stalls, on odd days, to set up in Alcester Street but even that was subject to further delays.

This week, Parliament heard from the Chancellor that the time was not right for Britain to join the euro.

Crucially though, studies into the matter indicated that joining in the right circumstances would be good for jobs and the nation's prosperity.

Some people argue against the euro on the grounds that we will be less British if we join but I don't see the French, Spanish or Irish any differently now than I did three years ago.

They all have their own identity and interests but they don't waste their resources managing their own currencies and shouldering all the risks that that may entail. Instead they can concentrate on trading in an expanding single market with the fewest barriers possible in the way.

On Friday, I am meeting headteachers from Redditch. It is a good time to meet as standards in education continue to rise and we look forward to a new school year in September.

A number of Redditch schools are extending their work into the summer to lift standards further.

For instance, Birchensale Middle School is running an arts workshop and Trinity High School is planning to send their most able students to Warwick University for extra tuition.

It is this sort of effort in addition to hard work in term time that can make all the difference to the life chances of children.