I am very concerned about a hole in county council spending plans which could lead to service cuts after the 2009 elections.

The budget from the ruling Conservative administration has failed to fund pressures identified by council officers amounting to £21m over the next five years.

This figure includes demographic pressures on social care services rising from £2m in 2010/11 to £9m in 2012/13 and anticipated waste disposal fines in 2011/12 and 2012/13.

It seems that the Tories are ducking the big challenges facing local government because of their irresponsible promises on council tax and free park-and-ride.

My fear is that, yet again, the most vulnerable members of the community will suffer.

We must not forget that it was the Tories who deliberately underspent on the older people service after the last county council elections, then cut the gross budget the following year - they cannot be trusted on social care.

Moreover, their plans for 2009/10 already allocate all but £1.9m of the ongoing funding assumed to be available in that year, leaving very little flexibility.

Perhaps they hope to scrape through to the 2009 elections, using the kind of short-sighted budgeting they would normally claim to oppose.

But they appear to be storing up trouble for the future.

BARBARA GATEHOUSE (Councillor) Leader, Labour Group Oxfordshire County Council