Sir – In your report about the Angel and Greyhound Meadow (November 27) you say that the council has accused Magdalen College of ‘unreasonable behaviour’ in wanting to increase the cost of the lease.

This accusation is based on a misrepresentation of the facts, and should be corrected.

The annual rent paid by the council to Magdalen for leasing the meadow to be used for public recreation has been unchanged for more than 20 years at £50 plus service charge. The college has offered a new 15 year lease at a rent of £65, which is certainly an increase, but of only £15 per year.

The problem is that under the old lease the council accepted responsibility for repairs and maintenance, including cutting the grass and hedges and clearing litter, as well as the cost of insurance. They have refused to accept such responsibilities under a new lease, seeking to place all of the costs and risks on the college.

Magdalen offered a new lease to the council on essentially the same terms as the old one at the time it expired.

If the council wish to take up this offer it is still open, and if it is the increase in rent that they are concerned about the college is content for it to remain unchanged at £50 per year.

Charles Young, Senior Bursar, Magdalen College, Oxford