Sir, Your reporter made a valiant attempt last week to explain a very complicated financial issue at the Vale. He did well, but I think that your readers would benefit from some assurances.

First, the council’s finances are not in turmoil as suggested in the article. The accounting error referred to, which meant that we thought we had £700,000 more money than we actually have, was unfortunate but we can manage the situation. This is not money that has been lost or wasted, it is simply money that has never existed. This does mean that the efficiency drive that I have instigated must happen that much more quickly.

The reference to a £15,000 cut in grants this year is misleading — £12,000 of that figure is simply a management issue to avoid overspending the budget, so the real reduction is £3,000 — less than one per cent of the total pot.

And to reassure your readers (and Ed Vaizey), Wantage Independent Advice Centre has received exactly the amount of money we promised it for this year. I make no apologies to taking a tough line on spending. We are in the midst of a recession and taxpayers of the Vale expect their council to look hard at what we spend money on. That is precisely what we are doing.

Next year is going to be difficult. Our council tax is amongst the lowest ten per cent of district councils in the country and I have no intention of changing that, so we must instead look at improving efficiency and, in a few cases, stopping doing things that are not a priority for us or our residents.

In the next couple of months, the Liberal Democrat group will publish its draft budget proposals and, at that time, I will welcome feedback from your readers on them.

Councillor Tony de Vere Leader Vale of White Horse District Council