I see councillor Roy Darke describes the county council as being “hell bent on attacking the young” (Monday’s Oxford Mail).

I am afraid it is true that young people’s services are facing cuts as part of the total of £62m that we are going to have to take out of our spending for the next financial year.

Mr Darke fails to recognise that the reason for the reduction in public spending is the financial shambles left by his Labour government.

There has been a structural imbalance in the national finances since 2001 and Gordon Brown’s ongoing spending binge left us weakened as a nation when we faced the banking crisis and the recession.

If Labour had won the election, they would have cut public spending by 20 per cent; the coalition has upped this to 25 per cent – rightly in my opinion – and saved the UK from the fate of Ireland or Greece.

Mr Darke also fails to say what should be cut if not youth services?

Should it be elderly care, support for those with learning disabilities, yet more libraries, road maintenance, or bus subsidies?

Come on Mr Darke, tell us where the cuts should fall... or would you simply keep piling on the debt to the national credit card? Keith R Mitchell, Leader of the Council, County Hall, Oxford