I can assure your readers that I take the safety and security of our staff and the public at park-and-ride sites in Oxford very seriously.

There has been much misinformation about the proposed changes to the staffing and assertions made that the council is reducing security when, in fact, it is increasing it. This has alarmed the public unnecessarily.

When considering how best to provide security until 11.15pm at the city-run park-and-ride sites, the council commissioned an independent health and safety report last summer.

The previous Labour administration had proposed removing staff altogether after 8pm and we felt this was unacceptable.

The report recommended a number of enhancements to the communications links and better CCTV links with the police.

All the recommendations have been agreed and implemented, resulting in one member of staff at Pear Tree saying he felt safer now on his own than he had when working in a pair before.

In fact, staff at Pear Tree have been working the evening shift on their own without problems for many weeks. Other staff work on their own at night - the out-of-hours environmental health staff, mobile wardens etc.

All are carefully assessed to be sure that they are not being put at undue risk.

JEAN FOOKS (Councillor), Executive member for a cleaner city, Oxford City Council