SIR - After two years of campaigning against the devastating cuts to social services, the latest news from County Hall, County's finances worse than feared (Oxford Mail, April 16), is the final straw.

The discovery of £1m lying dormant in a bank account was bad enough. Now to find that £11m is unaccounted for simply beggars belief.

The councillors' lounge, the Broadband project overspend, showers for people who cycle to work at County Hall, Cornmarket Street (and those benches) - all given higher priority than the basic human rights of vulnerable people.

A reported underspend, missing bank accounts, and financial mismanagement, resulting in a system laid wide open to fraud. When will it end?

Those of us who have questioned councillors' wisdom have been insulted, patronised, accused of lambasting the council, misleading the public and using distortions to suit our own agendas.

All we have tried to do is to secure decent services for vulnerable people. We have had our research and evidence dismissed and our questions unanswered. Their arrogance and refusal to be answerable to anyone seems to know no bounds.

Chris Gray, head of finance, may be "retiring", but members of the executive are responsible for this mess.

The buck stops with them and, for once, they should stand up and be accountable.

Families have suffered and are still suffering because of the failure over a number of years to sort out problems in social care finance. It is inexcusable.

How can anyone now have any confidence in their competence? To use council leader Keith Mitchell's words: "This cannot carry on."

GAIL HANRAHAN-BARNES

High Street

Chalgrove