A boost for schools, roads and public transport - that was the verdict as more than £400m was allocated yesterday, writes Mark Templeton.

Councillors took only 90 minutes to decide on the multi-million pound budget - £404,926,000 to be exact - heard in front of just one member of the public.

The joint Labour and Liberal Democrat package was hailed as a major step forward for schools, public transport and road improvement.

But there will be further talks on social services, where £10m worth of cuts will be made over the next three years.

Key elements of the Oxfordshire County Council budget for 2000/2001 include: *A council tax rise of 8.4 per cent - an increase of about £50 per home.

*An increase in school budgets of an average two per cent.

*£900,000 extra for road maintenance, plus £700,000 for urgent repairs.

*£428,000 for public transport, rising to £554,000 next year.

*Improved library opening hours and more money for books.

*More cash for youth services.

*£1.1m over three years to tackle a maintenance backlog in public buildings. Labour group leader Cllr Brian Hodgson said it was a positive budget and welcomed the Labour/LibDem pact.

He said: "I'm glad the Liberals have come on board.

"They recognise that we have a chance to turn round the years of Tory underfunding and begin to invest in council services again."

The deputy group leader of the Liberal Democrats, Cllr Neil Fawcett, said it was the first year in a long time that improvements would be made to services.

He said: "Because we are now the second largest group we now have more influence over the county budget." Tory group leader Cllr Keith Mitchell threw a challenge to the two groups to work together more often and resolve the crisis surrounding social services.

He said: "We are concerned that there is no political direction, and this will not happen until there is a head of a political side of the council.

"In one more year the voters will make up their own minds."

Councillor Neville Harris said it appeared that the days of lobbying of councillors before a meeting had gone.

He said: "The silence as I came into County Hall today was deafening. I think the lack of lobbying shows that we are on the right track."

Story date: Wednesday 09 February

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.