Pennies won't save buildngs

Blow me! Just when you've settled on buying a half-price sat-nav, digital camera or holiday swimsuit, up pops the government with a real bargain.

Apparently, next year there are plans to flog off surplus public buildings to the community for as little as a pound. So should the good citizens of Dudley get ready to empty their piggy banks?

I mean, given the council's happy knack of dumping its assets – Brierley Hill Swimming Baths come to mind – for a handful of small change, can Dudley folk pick up a few civic buildings? Could any of us be the overnight surprise owner of a crumbling office block, unwanted library or empty day-care centre?

Actually, I'll be surprised if any one of us can get anything for a pound. Isn't it Dudley's agenda to let our unwanted public buildings fall into vandal-blighted decline, so they can declare the only "sensible" thing to do is knock them down and sell off the land to the highest bidder?

I suppose it's just too tiresome to be thinking that these buildings were actually built for the benefit of the community.

The bizarre plan to board up the Summer Hill School's performing arts block in Kingswinford so it can sit idle for four years while the council debate moving Dudley archives is a case in point.

I'm sure several amateur theatre companies would have welcomed the chance to make better use of it.

Graham Smith, Chairman, Brierley Hill Amateur Operatic Society, Oldswinford.