But this is surely only one aspect of Warwick's status, seemingly as the poor relative of Leamington within Warwick District Council's priorities for expenditure.

Despite Warwick's historic heritage it compares most unfavourably with Leamington in terms of the appearance and general atmosphere of the town centre; Leamington possesses a liveliness totally absent from Warwick town centre, which seems rather unattractive and neglected by comparison.

Of course, some of the planning decisions of the post-war era in the town are now apparent as dowdy and depressing in the extreme, Barrack Street car park and library, and the county council offices being the obvious examples.

Little consideration seems to have been given to the needs of pedestrians rather than motorists; walkers cross the streets at their peril in the town centre, there are no traffic-free areas and every street is littered by parked cars during daylight hours from Monday through to Saturday. There must be few towns of its size which have town centres so poor in aspect as Market Street.

Just off the town centre lies Priory Park which must rank among the most neglected parks of its size: it occupies a spectacular and impressive site which could attract many more visitors than the dogs and their walkers, plus a few others on foot taking a short cut from Coventry Road to the centre of town, who currently make use of it.

But it stands almost wholly forgotten, trees untended, or standing dead or fallen, and no replanting policy.

It compares most unfavourably with Jephson Gardens, for example, and is a monument to civic disregard.

Perhaps Warwick's district council representatives do not see Warwick as their first responsibility when it comes to pressing the case for local budgetary expenditure in the overall scheme of things. - Richard Osgathorp (address supplied).


n Do you agree with Mr Osgathorp? Is Warwick a poor relation of Leamington? What, if anything, should the district and town councils do about it?
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