Sir, After reading your story about possible legal action over the parking charges I believe it's time to remind both city and county councillors that we residents expect them to behave responsibly. We have little choice in deciding how our council tax should be used to provide services but would hope that those we elect would ensure value for money.

The county council has recently spent our money on consultants in order to discover our opinion on street parking restrictions. Having received our answer it seems they choose to ignore it and continue with their original intention to introduce charges. If only they were Oxford city representatives then we might deselect them at the next election but unfortunately they represent the free rural community.

Now it seems, from your report, that John Goddard, our city leader, may need to employ the law to obtain our rights. How delightful for the legal profession that they should be gainfully employed in settling an inter-council dispute knowing that the customers will settle the bill whatever the final judgement. Surely this is a mad state of affairs when our dual management cannot agree among themselves and expect us to pay for their incompetence. If only we had the choice of an alternative authority.

Perhaps the solution would be to ask for an outside person or body to adjudicate? When the police fight among themselves then usually an independent Chief Constable is empowered to decide the matter. In our case the District Auditor should have an opinion about how money is spent or again it might be another opportunity for John Prescott to intervene.

Richard Hunt, Oxford