Dear Editor, On Friday, I called in at the Fairtrade banana-eating record attempt at the Edwardian Tearoom in the Museum and Art Gallery. 

I parked my cycle in the Council House quadrangle behind the three limousines.  One for the Lord Mayor, a second for the Deputy Lord Mayor and a third for the Leader of the Council.  Three Jags triumvirate. 

I was astonished to see the Lord Mayor’s Jag choking me as it pumped out its poisonous exhaust, with the chauffeur chatting to the other two chauffeurs at the cleaner air end, at the front of the cars.

“Any chance you could switch off and give me clean air to breathe, as well, please?” I asked.

I was then regaled with an explanation I had never heard before.  Usually, bus and coach drivers come out with the story that if they switch off, they’d never get the engine started again. This time, it was more original.

“The Lord Mayor has a condition that means he must have a warm car to sit in. The distance to his home is not far enough to warm the car for him, so the engine is running now.”

If the Lord Mayor is so delicate, should he be in this so onerous post? Perhaps he should be on long-term sickness absence?

These three councillors do like it to be known that they head up the only council that was the first to have a climate-change festival, the first to set such huge targets to beat climate change; the council with a head of climate change and sustainability and sustainability officers.

Therefore, should this council not use locally-manufactured cars that are less extravagant and gross? What about medium-sized cars for them, or car-sharing?  Do they really need one each?  Coun Richard Worrall, when he was Mayor of Walsall, used bus and train.  What is wrong with that?

Is expecting leadership from the leaders really too much to ask? Or perhaps the Lord Mayor could offer more information?

Tim Weller

Hunnington Cres

Halesowen