Sir, I am the member of the public whose short speech to the full meeting of Oxfordshire County Council on September 12 attracted a cry of rubbish' from councillor Terry Joslin. I would like to respond to councillor Joslin's subsequent letter about this (September 29).

I did not accuse county council planning officers of being unprofessional or incompetent, and I do not believe that I said anything which was inaccurate or offensive. In my speech, I spelt out some home truths about the county council's handling of a recent (and very controversial) planning application. It may be that Mr Joslin found it uncomfortable to be faced with this. I wrote to Mr Joslin on September 13, and again on September 28. I asked him to tell me which part or parts of my speech to the county council he considered to be unfair or inaccurate. I am awaiting his reply to that question with interest.

Roger Thomas, Abingdon