THE Advertiser/Messenger's 'Pride in your Patch' campaign is to be commended.

It is no secret that Bromsgrove District Council has fallen below standards expected by residents. The Government's 2005 Audit Commission Inspection Report on BDC clearly states so.

The audit report also states that there is little evidence of preventive measures to reduce littering or fly tipping. One could also add dog fouling.

Recent turbulence within Bromsgrove Council has contributed to this under-performance. As have the diversion of resources into operational costs of the new refuse/recycling service, which is also seen by some residents to contribute to littering when operated in windy conditions.

Comments last week from Margaret Sherry, the cabinet member with responsibility for street scene and waste management, are, to say the least, puzzling.

"I cannot understand why people attribute the responsibility of litter to the council when it is clearly their responsibility," she said.

I agree there is a prime responsibility for the individual to dispose of litter themselves. But Cllr Sherry seems to have overlooked The Environmental Protection Act 1990 and also BVPI 199 (the relevant best value performance indicator set by government to judge how local authorities perform the task of street/path cleaning).

Your campaign has raised the profile of litter around Bromsgrove and will play a part in improving our environment.

Meanwhile, at BDC the new corporate head of service has indicated that he really means business, and will address the litter issue. New high performance street sweepers have already been ordered. We don't live in a perfect world, and amongst us are some who don't think, can't be bothered, or are even unaware of the effects of litter.

Let's hope the 'Pride in your Patch' campaign, coupled with the soon-to-be upgraded service from BDC, will give Bromsgrove a welcome spring clean.

Sean Shannon, Shaw Lane, Stoke Prior