There was a delightful surprise at the Audit Committee meeting of the district council on June 25 when a finance officer announced that the Little Chef carpark project in Redbrook is scheduled to be completed in this fiscal year. 

This carpark has been promised to residents and visitors for the past nine years but has been subject to many delays and false starts. Much time and effort by various councillors has been expended to no avail as nothing has been done. The announcement was received with pleasure by all members of the Audit Committee with Cllr Norman Stevens (Ind.) emphasising that this time the project must be completed as delays and the consequent publicity had brought the council into disrepute. 

Under the public speaking protocol I have sent the following to Democratic Services for consideration by the district council's Corporate Scrut­iny committee:

'May I request that a report on the Little Chef car park project, announced at the Audit Committee meeting of June 25 as scheduled to be completed in this fiscal year, is an agenda item at each Corporate Scrutiny meeting until completion, so that progress may be closely monitored to avoid any further delay in this necessary amenity that residents of Redbrook have been promised for the past nine years.'

If members of the Corporate Scrutiny Committee are able, through an agenda item, to request a progress report each time they meet, perhaps this will concentrate minds to ensure that the carpark is actually built. One of Newland Parish Council members remarked at a meeting some months ago that the biggest eyesore in the Wye Valley belongs to the district council. Let us hope that within a few months this will no longer be the case.  – Daphne Pearson (Dr), Tinman's Green, Redbrook.