Sadly for county councillor Zoe Patrick, there is nothing wrong with my maths or my English, which is more than can be said for her logic and her memory (Oxford Mail, May 9).

At the time of the county council budget debate, the excuse we were given why her party had disgracefully refused to put their own financial plans out to detailed public scrutiny was that they wished to avoid creating extra work for county council finance officers.

Now we are told that it was because they agreed with so much of the Conservative budget that they could find only a handful of items they wished to change.

Flattering perhaps, but even for Liberals, this is a pretty quick rewriting of history.

The fact is that the Liberals are a classic tax and spend party. Such figures as they did produce condemned Oxfordshire taxpayers to a council tax increase of almost five per cent every year until 2011, while their spending amendments owed more to any passing opinion poll than to real leadership.

Spendthrift, reckless and, I might add, dangerous.

John Howell (Councillor) Dorchester and Berinsfield Cabinet Member for Change Management Oxfordshire County Council