So now they are going to rub out most of the yellow lines recently painted around the town, including some of the historic cobbled streets, and start again on finding a solution to the parking problems in Ludlow.

Shropshire County Council has sent a survey questionnaire to some 7,000 residents and businesses because discussions with other bodies and groups have failed to show "a clear consensus on the way forward".

All well and good so far - until you take a look at the survey document which sets out complex and far reaching proposals with significant implications for both residents and visitors. Clearly the questions in the document are quite thought provoking and in themselves worthy of debate. Yet in his wisdom the county's group manager for traffic engineering has 'narrowed the field' by restricting responses to 'Yes' or 'No' answers. I see this as a deliberate attempt to stifle discussion and consultation.

How can they get away with this!

Having visited Ludlow regularly for many years I didn't think that there much of a problem with parking in the town. Plenty of parking on the streets, a car park in the centre of the town, a big one on the edge of the shopping area and another just a few minutes walk away. It seems to me that the County Council are looking to impose a solution to a problem which doesn't exist.