A former Liberal-Democrat councillor has organised his own public lecture to challenge the Coalition’s economic policy.

John Cole, who represented Baildon for 15 years, has booked a room at Baildon Community Link, in Cliffe Avenue, for a public meeting on Thursday, November 28, to “get up on my soap box and demolish the myths which have been promulgated. He said: “Some Tories and LIberal-Democrats who believe in a smaller state are using this crisis for cutting Government expenditure but it’s being done under a cloak of getting the books straight.

“It’s intellectually dishonest.”

Mr Cole, a former head of economics at Salt Grammar School, where he is still a governor, said: “Bradford Council, which is among the top ten per cent local authorities for deprivation and need, has already made cuts of £100 million and is now having to find another £115 million cuts.

“This is hitting the weakest and the poorest and it makes me very angry.”

The talk, at 7.30pm, will be followed by a question and answer session.