County council leader 'can't rule out more cuts'

He said another “challenging budget” process lay ahead for the authority, which he has led since Keith Mitchell stepped down in May.

The Woodstock Tory councillor accepted he has a tough job ahead, and refused to rule out further savings, depending on the amount the council receives from the Government ahead of its next budget.He said: “It will be a challenging budget and we will have to see what the Government settlement is going to be, because that plays a major part.

“We will have to really wait and see what the Government says, but I won’t rule further cuts out.

“I think the electorate appreciates that in the last two years there has been no increase in council tax, and we have done that by making savings across the council, but we have protected things like vulnerable children and the fire service.”

The budget-setting process will officially begin this autumn, and the Government settlement is normally announced in the New Year.

And to add to Mr Hudspeth’s workload, elections in 63 seats will be held in less than a year’s time. There will be 11 fewer seats in a bid to cut costs and reshape representation.

He admitted the Conservatives’ poor showing in the national polls, with the latest YouGov poll putting them at 34 per cent popularity, could harm the party locally, but said voters would demonstrate their opinion of the council’s record.

He said: “Inevitably it is going to be a very difficult election campaign to fight, but I think when people look at our record and what we have done since we took full control in 2005, they will see we have transformed the operation of the county council.

“We have made it more efficient, with more streamlined services.”

He said he was pleased with some big achievements made by the council during his first 100 days, especially with transport.

He said: “First, we heard that funding for improvements to Junction 9 on the M40 had been approved. “Then there was the wonderful news that there would be Government investment in Oxford railway station along with electrification of railways and confirmation of the east-west rail, linking the county with Milton Keynes and perhaps beyond.

“In Oxford, we’ve repaired the Iffley Road to a very high standard and got the job done on time and agreed a plan to create a third hamburger roundabout for the city at Kennington Roundabout.”

He also gave other examples, including the launch of the Witney Early Intervention Centre and a campaign to improve reading standards among children in Oxfordshire.

But he added: “The biggest disappointment of my first 100 days in office was the Inspector’s decision [to turn down] the Cogges Link Road . However, disappointment leads to opportunity and there is still a job to be done to deliver a project to alleviate Witney’s traffic issues.”

Liberal Democrat councillor John Goddard said he felt Mr Hudspeth was trying to do things differently from former leader Keith Mitchell.

He said: “I think 100 days is a very short amount of time, but I think he is very sensibly wanting to give the impression he’s more prepared to listen and do things differently.

“I think that change in mood or atmosphere is something that’s very welcome in my group but also, I suspect, in his.”

Asked how Mr Hudspeth was getting on, Mr Mitchell said: “The honest answer is I don’t know. I haven’t been in touch with things since he started, I’ve been getting on with my life.”