SIR – Still on Terra Firma, I correct my Labour colleague’s misguided comments (Letters, October 24).

Local cuts are substantial over five years. Lib-Dem, Green and Labour budgets concurred in minimising effects on front-line services – protecting the most vulnerable.

Government cuts (just to stop debt growing) are Labour cuts, only they won’t say where they’d have made them without frightening markets.

Labour’s economic mismanagement included: * house price inflation as a “good thing”.

* poorly-regulated financial systems as in Ireland and Iceland!

* borrowing for new schools, hospitals etc, including expensive Private Finance, hidden from official debt.

Without space to counter all erroneous claims, Labour’s tuition fees (admittedly increased under Conservative pressure) are now more of a graduate tax – better-off graduates pay more, poorest ones receive grants, have lower pay-back rates, or don’t repay. School-building continues. Youth unemployment existed under Labour.

Against a backgound of cuts, Lib-Dems have secured new monies for the worst-off, eg the ‘pupil premium’ of £9m this year in Bradford district, substantially increasing in subsequent years. In our ward this means £30,256 for Low Ash Primary, Wrose; £28,304 for Windhill CofE; £14,640 for St Anthony’s, and £52,704 for High Crags, Windhill.

Coun John Hall, (Lib-Dem, Windhill and Wrose) Pennithorne Avenue, Shipley