Sir – Ian Hudspeth’s departure from the county council cabinet (Report, May 19) needs explaining.

He landed Oxfordshire taxpayers with an expensive and unnecessary incinerator in the wrong place. He diverted scarce funds to the costly white elephant of the Cogges Link Road in Witney. He completely failed to improve transport access to Oxford.

But he wasn’t booted out of his job for any of these reasons. His mistake was challenging Keith Mitchell for leadership of the Tory-run county council.

Mitchell is playing a dangerous game and making more and more enemies among his own Conservative councillors. Hudspeth was one of the best cards in the lacklustre Tory pack and would probably make a very good Conservative leader. I know many of his own side agree.

The people of Oxfordshire can ill afford to lose competent cabinet members, even if they are Conservatives The increasingly authoritarian leadership of Mr Mitchell is in nobody’s interest.

Growth and infrastructure are too important to be put at risk by Tory Party squabbles.

John Tanner, Labour city council board member for a cleaner, greener Oxford Oxford