HAS "Radcliffe Resident" (Your Letters, Jan 28) read the Audit Commission report on Bury?

Does the Audit Commission suggest Conservative councils give better services? What is Bury's average council tax? What level of council tax rises did the Conservative chancellor expect when he set his last Budget in 1997?

Obviously, these are not answers "Radcliffe Resident" will get from Conservative Party Central Office, so I will help you.

When setting the 1997 Budget, Kenneth Clarke anticipated average council tax rises of at least 8.5 per cent for the following three years, a total rise of at least 27.73 per cent. There was no promise of extra money for education, health, social security and the police

indeed, the Conservatives have consistently opposed the Labour Government providing extra resources, and even now are proposing cuts of 20 per cent in these services.

Bury's average council tax at £660 is below that charged by Conservative councils and, indeed, Liberal Democrat councils, as the Audit Commission will testify.

Regarding services, how does one compare an urban area such as Bury with councils such as Cheshire, Hertfordshire or Buckinghamshire, since counties do not provide as wide a range of services and as MORI points out they are much more affluent and have fewer problems.

We can expect comparison with those "excellent" all-purpose authorities. There are 13 of these, seven Labour, three Conservative and three with no overall control. Next year, 12 of them will receive millions more than Bury and 11 of them get Neighbourhood Renewal Funding, which is given specifically to help councils improve their performance. There is clear evidence, therefore, that there is a direct relationship between money available and overall performance.

COUNCILLOR JOHN BYRNE,

leader of the council.