I expect that most of your readers will be as sick and tired as I am of county council leader Keith Mitchell lecturing us from his high horse.

His latest letter (ViewPoints, December 16) follows his usual line of blaming previous Labour governments for our financial problems and challenging his opponents to say where they would make the cuts, instead of shutting old people’s homes, youth centres and libraries.

Well, for a start, it would be nice to know how much actually needs to be cut from the council budget.

In September Mr Mitchell said it was £203m over five years, but more recently that figure has miraculously come down to £155m.

And one might wonder why the county council is in such financial difficulties. Mr Mitchell cannot blame national government for the large amounts of money wasted by the council in past years – on such things as ridiculous traffic schemes which didn’t work.

Mr Mitchell refers to “the reduction in public spending that is required by the Liberal-Conservative coalition Government”. In other words, his own Conservative party (which makes up most of the coalition) is demanding these cuts. A strange paradox!

Mr Mitchell asks “Where is the axe to fall?” Mr Mitchell might start by urging his Conservative buddies at Westminster to tax the wealthy and the bankers, instead of poorer people.

Keith could surely pop over to Witney and have a word with David Cameron.

Mr Mitchell should also stop taking so much money from our council tax for being an ineffective, arrogant councillor.

Tony Augarde, Carlton Road, Oxford