COUNCILLOR Liz Brighouse (Oxford Mail, January 18) and Tony Augarde (January 25) have both publicly criticised county councillors for not taking a cut in their allowances.

County councillors have pegged their allowances to the staff pay scheme and are about to enter another year of a pay freeze.

They are reducing their mileage rate and have deleted their group assistant posts in the interests of economy.

They have also persuaded the Boundary Commission to slash the number of councillors at the next elections by 10 – a further cost saving.

The problem with slashing allowances as Mrs Brighouse proposed is that members with heavy responsibilities requiring a three, four-or-more, day working week would simply not be able to afford to continue.

The result would be a council even more dominated by the retired, the wealthy, a few with union backing, some self-employed people and a sprinkling of Champagne socialists.

This is hardly the diverse democracy that local electors deserve.

Keith R Mitchell, Leader of the Council, County Hall, Oxford