New Labour city councillor Dan Paskins attacks the Independent Working Class Association for not attending the city council budget-setting meetings (Oxford Mail, February 28) knowing that, given the balance of political groups on the council, it could play no effective part in the "horse-trading" over the budget.

Rather than attending meetings purely for political show, we spend as much of our time as possible on issues where we can make a real difference to those we represent, including:

Tackling antisocial behaviour problems by working with residents to highlight the issues, isolate troublemakers and ensure the authorities are fulfilling their obligations

Campaigning against crack and heroin dealers in our wards and attempting to reclaim public spaces for the community

Advising tenants on housing repairs and urgent improvements and working tirelessly to ensure these are properly carried out by the council

Preventing measures being pushed through without proper consultation by using door-to-door surveys to ask residents their views on issues directly affecting them

Supporting the elderly, including those adversely affected by the council's housing allocations policy.

Having been in power on Oxford City Council for 23 of the last 25 years and in government for the past eight years, Labour is either directly responsible for these issues, or has failed to make a significant impact on them, despite numerous attention-grabbing headlines.

Where the IWCA can further the interests of Oxford's working class, we do not hesitate to intervene in debate at committee or full council level.

However, unlike some local politicians, we have no interest in sitting through meetings where we can make no difference.

We prefer instead to spend our time doing useful work for those we represent. STUART CRAFT (Councillor), WCA, Oxford City Council