Sir – It appears that Keith Mitchell feels under pressure. These days, who doesn’t?

He sees that his proposed policies for cuts in public services are being criticised and he disagrees with the critics.

That is to be expected in political debates and indeed in everyday life. However, what is not expected in a mature democracy from the leader of Oxfordshire County Council, or from anyone in a prominent leadership position is for the leader to engage in gratuitously offensive and personally insulting responses to any reasonable,well-intentioned critical comment by citizens/electors on matters of public concern. “Grace under pressure” is a necessary quality in effective leadership in any democratic context. What we saw in Mr Mitchell’s letter (February 17), in part of which he openly insults a Dr Diana Sanders, was a follow-up to his barely believable offensive remarks a few weeks ago directed at Mr Colin Dexter and at Mr Philip Pullman, when they dared to express their condemnation of his planned devastation of Oxfordshire’s public library service.

If Mr Mitchell cannot deal with the tensions inherent in his chosen public role and learn to interact respectfully with citizens, whom he is there to serve, then he should leave the political field and return to the privacy of accountancy. If he has any self-respect, three apologies would seem to be in order from this irascible man.

Howard Williams, Oxford