LABOUR county councillors have pledged to spend more on older people and to improve rural bus services if they take control of County Hall next month.

At the last county council election in 2005, Labour lost 15 seats.

It currently holds seven of the council’s 74 seats, all of which it is contesting on June 4.

Liz Brighouse, leader of the Labour group, said she felt confident the party would win back seats.

She said: “With the economic downturn, the Tories find themselves struggling to balance the books.

“This situation arose from their own failure to plan the council’s finances prudently.

“Our budgets protect the vulnerable while avoiding excessive increases in council tax.

“We would support older people through more funding for care home places, respite beds and practical home support, and young people through more funding for child protection and the youth service.”

Labour plans to scrap the Tories’ £1.3m-a-year subsidy on park-and-ride services by charging shoppers and commuters £1 to park and ploughing the money raised into social services and public transport.

The party wants to remove residents’ parking charges in Oxford but charge for city centre evening and Sunday parking.

It also supports proposals to build 4,000 new homes south of Grenoble Road, in Oxford.

Labour also pledges to increase recruitment and training of social workers, extend opening times for youth centres, provide an extra £1m for the care of older people, fund more bus services and fund additional care home places to reduce delayed discharges from hospitals.

The Greens’ manifesto will be published on Wednesday, concluding the Oxford Mail’s look at the four main parties.

tshepherd@oxfordmail.co.uk