Sir - David Cameron seemed confident that the Conservatives might be able to win seats in Oxford, given that they win in Witney and Banbury (report, May 25). I'm afraid this shows quite how little the Conservatives understand the gulf that lies between the city and the rest of the county.

The Conservatives are the fourth party in the city because they long ago lost touch with the quality-of-life agenda in the city. Like it or not, it is a very fact of city life that we share the urban space, and have to work together to make it a desirable place to live. The bigger the town or city, the less we can rely purely on people being good citizens; it doesn't work unless there is a degree of restraint. Cameronian voluntarism isn't enough to give the outcome we citizens of Oxford have consistently sought.

Of course it is hard to govern part of the county which contributes no councillors to the governing party. But you would have thought the Conservatives would have made some attempt to understand the city mindset. After all, they aspire to run the whole country.

The Conservatives are always likely to struggle to win seats in the city. But they would do themselves a considerable favour if they accepted that the city is a different place, and avoided trying to govern it as if it was just like Banbury or Witney. Perhaps it would help if there was a cabinet member specifically for the city, with responsibility for those areas where the city is patently different, such as transport.

Richard Mann Oxford