Councillor Kath McGuirk took exception to my letter about Labour's failure to produce a valid alternative budget that could be debated by Barnet Council (Tories have one eye on elections', Times Letters, March 28).

She is right to say that it was the mayor who rejected Labour's budget. But the mayor was acting on the advice of the borough treasurer, who declared the savings in Labour's budget could not be substantiated.

We only have Labour's word for it that its budget would have cut the Tories' council tax rise from 24 per cent to 12 per cent.

Like the Loch Ness Monster, Labour's budget is much-rumoured but little seen, having been circulated to the Labour group, but no-one else.

Matthew Harris

Chairman, Chipping Barnet Lib Dems

April 7, 2003 16:30