I have just read the report on all of the good work that has been carried out with regard to obtaining a grant for the upgrade and refurbishment of Mary Stevens Park.

All involved, including the ‘Friends of Mary Stevens Park’ and the local Councillor, Hilary Bills, are to be congratulated on their hard work in getting the funding required to make the improvements proposed to what is a wonderful attraction in the Stourbridge area.

Their endeavours have also been reported on in an excellent front page article in the ‘Stourbridge News’.

Sadly, I have to inform you that all of this hard work and the lottery grant is going to waste. There is little point in providing such an excellent facility when there will no visitors attending the park due to lack of parking areas. These were in short supply last year when we had such a wonderful summer and families visited in large numbers.

The lack of parking not only caused congestion on the park itself but also in surrounding streets which were used as overflow parking areas. This problem has since been exacerbated by the import of council workers who take up most of the parking spaces from early morning throughout the rest of the day. The Councillor in charge of the move, Councillor Crumpton, seems to think that they have as much right to park there as anyone else. Sorry, Councillor, but you appear to be wrong.

The park was bequeathed to the good people of Stourbridge with no mention of council employees.

These same workers were offered parking at a nearby school but it appears that a ten minute walk from their cars is too much of an imposition on them.

This problem really does need sorting out before the summer otherwise a lot of hard work and charity funding will prove to have been a total waste.

Colin Wills