On yer bike: Walsall ex-mayor hits out over £50k Jag

That was the stance of one-time Walsall mayor Richard Worrall during the 1990s – and he was determined to stick to it.

The 69-year-old has joined the fierce debate about the borough mayor's car after it emerged Walsall Council controversially spent £50,000 on a new Jaguar XJ at a time they are making £19 million savings and 332 job cuts.

Today he said the decision to fork out thousands for a Jaguar 'wasn't a very clever move'.

"When I was mayor back in the 1990s, I tried not to use the mayoral car as much as possible," he said. "I would go places by bus, bike or even walk if I could. I never turned up to a council meeting in a car.

"I just felt then – and I still do now – that we need to do something about the way we travel around. I tried where I could not to use a petrol or diesel car."

Mr Worrall described his decision to use greener forms of transport as having more to do with saving the environment but it would have certainly saved some pennies too.

"I did it my way to save the environment," he continued. "A Ford Mondeo was hired as the mayoral car after the previous one, a Daimler, was sent to a motor museum in France. That had been very costly.

"For a mayor, a Mondeo would be seen as rather down-market, but the mayor does not have to arrive in an expensive limousine. People are happy to meet the mayor, a nice friendly face. That's all they care about.

"When I read about the council spending £50,000 on a new mayoral car, I thought it wasn't a very clever move. You don't do something like that when you are having to make multi-million pound cuts."

See also: Walsall Council spends £50k on mayor's new car

In total Mr Worrall made 800 appointments during his year-long term from 1996-97 and he said he reached the vast majority of them by bike, bus, train or even in an electric car. He even had a civic pennant put on the front of his bike. Peugeot in Coventry had been designing early models of electric cars and Mr Worrall was allowed to use one for several months – and at times he would simply walk, if the appointments were close enough.

Mr Worrall was re-elected as a councillor after an eight-year break last May. The retired teacher had previously campaigned for the National Pensioners' Convention for free bus travel for senior citizens.

He added: "I remember one time when I left my bike outside the council house and when I came out later someone had stolen the saddle."

Mr Worrall is quick to leap to the defence of current mayor Councillor Mohammad Nazir, saying the decision to buy a new Jaguar was not down to him.

Union chiefs have been highly critical over the expenditure on the new mayoral car. But council leader Mike Bird has said coughing up £50,000 will have no impact on potential redundancies.