Ralph Leavis (Oxford Mail, October 10) is quite right — I do accuse the Tories of making cuts to the Health Service and in many other areas.

That is historical fact.

Infections of all kinds, including MRSA and C Diff, have risen significantly in our health services over the last 30 years or so, due to many factors, some because of new strains of infections being resistant to antibiotics.

Reductions in funding could not possibly have helped combat those sorts of infections.

The Thatcher Government also introduced compulsory competitive tendering, forcing the public sector (hospitals, etc) to employ private contract cleaning companies to perform house-keeping duties.

These actions could only have benefited those private contractors, since wages and conditions were far lower than those of the NHS, as anyone who worked for these contractors will verify.

Many employees were forced on to Government benefits to subsidise the low wages these contractors paid.

It is also significant to note that David Cameron's has promoted Nick Clark, who claims that "tax credits are outdated".

Could there be a hidden agenda under Mr Cameron?

We must also be very conscious that the vice-chairman of the Conservative party is billionaire Michael Ashcroft (Lord Ashcroft), who made most of his money from contract cleaning and has donated £10m plus to the Tories.

Could there be a vested interest if Mr Cameron came to power?

As Mr Leavis puts it — "I will leave your readers to draw their own conclusions".

Dave Robinson, Meaden Hill, Headington, Oxford