Has city councillor Colin Cook been living in a cave for the past 12 months?

If not, perhaps both he and the Oxford Mail would like to direct the county council towards the enormous pile of cash they seem to believe is winging its way in the direction of the public sector.

Mr Cook’s proposal to widen the road and replace the Rail bridge by Oxford Station could only ever work as part of a much wider project. That would cost tens of millions of pounds.

As the Mail itself points out (editorial of the same edition), widening the bridge is no “silver bullet answer” and would require drastic work either side of the rail crossing and the wider network around the station.

Quite apart from the huge cost, this would require both the road and rail routes to be closed for significant periods of time.

As it is, the county council’s capital programme for the next four years is under review, while we await announcements from central Government as to how much money will be cut.

In the meantime, we have developed with Network Rail, a vital project that promises to transform Oxford Station for all those who use it.

Should the Government release the necessary funding, as we hope it will, this would represent a huge win for Oxford at this most difficult of times.

There seems to be a gulf between the financial reality facing the public sector and Mr Cook’s aspirational rhetoric.

Is he aware of the nation’s enormous financial deficit or does he have access to a money-growing tree somewhere?

If so, can he please point government ministers and local councillors up and down the land in its direction?

Rodney Rose Cabinet Member for Transport Oxfordshire County Council County Hall New Road Oxford