IT WAS astonishing that Labour failed to submit a county council budget (Tuesday’s Oxford Mail letters).

Budgets are the one time in the year when all political groups get to say how they would finance the type and level of services they aspire to, in areas such as education, health care, transport and sustainability across the county.

One can only assume the group is short of ideas, money or both. For a party that wants to continue to govern this country, it is showing an astonishing lack of leadership.

Once again, the Greens put forward a progressive, workable alternative budget showing that, in the city and county, we are very much setting the agenda.

Craig Simmons, Oxford City Councillor, Green Group