Re (Oxford Mail, November 14, Braced for council tax increases), the article implies that we may be faced with over-the-top increases in our council taxes next year.

Have those who are to make these decisions taken into account that there is a recession and we have had to pay more for our food, water, electricity, gas and umpteen more things during the past year? So how do they expect us to dig deeper when we are struggling now?

Are they aware that more and more people are losing their jobs every day and those who cannot find alternative employment will be on benefits and pay little or no council tax?

Perhaps they have done their sums and taken into account the worsening situation, so that those who will still have a job and the pensioners will make up the shortfall.

With bus passes going over budget by £400,000 and all the cost of the recycling bins, boxes and computerised lorries etc, no wonder the council is broke. Then there are those millions of pounds frozen in Icelandic banks. Have we got to cover the loss of that? Why wasn’t the money invested in this country where it may have been safer?

How the county council can speak of spending millions of pounds on pedestrianising more of our city’s streets at a time like this beggars belief.

Who is to blame for the lack of money in the purse? Is it the present Labour administration or the previous Liberal council? Silly question really, they will both blame each other.

Michael Clarke, Lewell Avenue, Old Marston, Oxford