Sir - I feel that I must reply to the letter that appeared in The Oxford Times (April 4) from a range of people who have strong links to Oxford High Street.

Each of the people who signed the letter no doubt have a deep attachment to what is undoubtedly a jewel in Oxford's crown.

The county council shares that attachment and our commitment has been demonstrated by the work we have already completed.

You only have to look at the sections from Carfax to Turl Street and past Magdalen College to St Clement's to see the quality of the work completed. The road surface is repaired to a high standard, the paving is in excellent condition and we de-cluttered as much signage as we possibly could.

We had every intention of doing the same kind of job on the central section of the High Street, until the Government pulled the rug out from under us by reducing our funding substantially.

I know that it it the typical refrain for local councils to push the blame up to Government when things go wrong, but in this case it is the undeniable truth. We were told we had a certain amount of money, planned accordingly, and then we were told we'd be getting less.

Despite this, we still want to do as good a job as humanly possible on the central section of the High Street. We do want to discuss things fully with stakeholders, as we always do.

However, from the outset, we'd like stakeholders to understand the cards that we have been dealt by central Government. Once that is understood we can work together to make the very best of our resources and carry on the excellent work on the High.

Ian Hudspeth, Cabinet member for transport, Oxfordshire County Council