RED ROUTE ROW ESCALATES WITH COMPLAINT WARNING

07-03-2008

Disgruntled shopowners in Sparkbrook’s congestion busting Red Route are threatening to report Lib Dem councillor Martin Mullaney to the Local Government Ombudsman following Wednesday’s farcical walkabout.

As The Stirrer reported yesterday, leaders of the Stratford Road Business Association were determined to shadow Mullaney and other members of the Transportation Scrutiny Committee who’d gone to see for themselves how the enforcement of a strict “no parking” zone had affected trade.

The SRBA officials argued that they were trying to be helpful, but some of the visitors found their presence more of a hindrance and decided to carry out a “vanishing act” before continuing their inspection elsewhere (see link here)

Now the row is escalating, with the Association’s Secretary Abdul Vanat saying, “We have rung the Council to see who is above him and who we can complain to, and we are considering going to the Local Government Ombudsman.

“This was supposed to be our chance to talk to some kind of official who would come and see the problems the Red Route created.

“As the Chair of the Scrutiny Committee, he is supposed to be independent. We’re really disappointed and disillusioned that a senior councillor could act like this after so many requests.”

Mullaney is sticking by his account that he wanted to hear from a broad range of Stratford Road businesses – not just those hand-picked by the SRBA.

As for being threatened with the Ombudsman, he said, “If they want to make a complaint, I’ll help them write it.”