DEAR EDITOR - I would like to respond to Councillor Peter McDonald's recently published letter (June 19) in which he unjustly criticises both myself and Bromsgrove District Council on a number of issues.

The refusal to set up a Carcinogenic Avoidance Committee was based on the lack of a need for such a committee, having established that neither any local industrial site or traffic pollutant source, poses a known carcinogenic threat to residents.

In addition, the council has been amongst the leading local authorities in respect of air quality monitoring and management, having established three air quality management areas and been praised for its air quality review and assessment reports by the then Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions.

As regards the council's alleged refusal to consider prior to the purchase of new vehicles, ones able to run on LPG, this is strongly denied, and whenever practical and within reasonable parameters, the council will obtain vehicles which have minimal polluting emissions.

The question of refuse collection arrangements, in particular for Bank Holidays which has been a matter of concern to some affected residents, is being kept under review in order to continue to try and provide the best possible service to local residents, at a reasonable cost and within existing constraints such as waste tip opening times.

The introduction of a £10 charge for bulky waste collections was due to the need to make the service more cost effective because the previous charge of £3.30 meant the service was being excessively subsidised.

The concerns continually expressed about two safety incidents at the Dolphin Centre, are unfounded and whilst they were important and therefore taken very seriously, they were not as serious as they have been purported to be.

Having said that, they were swiftly and effectively dealt with, and should therefore not be repeated.

Cllr John Tidmarsh

(Con - Stoke Prior),

Bromsgrove District Council.