IN response to John Milburn's letter (LET, September 14) about councillors using their free car park passes both sparingly and responsibly, I'm afraid that he has totally missed the point.

The decision by the members to have these free passes sends a very clear message to all who 'work' for the same council, never mind the public of Blackburn and Darwen, and that message is: 'we are more important than you'.

In comparison to the few dozen councillors, supposedly representing the borough, the council employs hundreds if not thousands of employees.

Do all these employees get free car park passes a their places of employment? No, they do not!

The vast majority (senior staff aside) have to park (and pay) elsewhere if they want to travel to work by car, instead of using public transport.

Winter will shortly be upon us, and once more, numerous female workers will have to walk, in the dark, mornings and evenings, to get in and out of work from where they have parked their cars.

These workers are significantly more at risk, than any councillor, of being abused or attacked by those types looking for vulnerable victims.

Mr Milburn says that in his nine years with the council, he has used his car pass 'probably half a dozen times'.

Well, not only is this a very expensive perk, and perpahs he should use public transport, or better still he should give it up for a female worker, working five days a week x 52 per year.

NOEL EKE, Pickering Fold, Blackburn.