Thames Towpath - letter to Oxford Mail

12.00.00am GMT Fri 2nd Mar 2007

Keith Mitchell (Oxford Mail, 27.2.07) accuses me of voting against the £400k funding for repairs to the Thames towpath because I voted against the Tory budget for the County Council. He has obviously forgotten that he voted against the capital allocation to this work that was included in the Libdem budget.

He also voted against reinstating the Prevention and Day Care Strategy for the Elderly, five more youth workers across the County, almost £1m extra for pavement, cycle path and road maintenance, more for bus subsidies - and £2.2m more for vulnerable children and families. He preferred to keep free parking for visitors to the city centre in the evenings and on Sundays.

I voted against the Tory cuts to care of the elderly, to the waste reduction budget and the equalities grants budget.

I welcome the last-minute offer of funds for repairs to the Thames towpath. I hope that we can draw up plans for work to begin just as soon as possible and, as Keith knows, the City Council has identified funds of up to £100k as its contribution to this very essential work.

Jean Fooks

Liberal Democrat city and county councillor