I have read with interest the letter from Coun Jeff Osborn setting out his views on how Wiltshire Council has coped with the cut of one third from the funding received from Government.

In the face of these savage cuts Wiltshire Council has taken tough decisions, allowing us to continue to deliver front-line services to our community.

In order to help achieve this the council has managed to cut the cost of administration from 19 per cent to just six per cent of total expenditure, which is one of the lowest levels in the country, and comparable with the best of private industry.

Whilst other councils have simply cut services delivered to their community the Conservative administration of this council has taken radical decisions allowing the delivery of more for less including the reduction in council administrative buildings form 90 to three, and our ground-breaking campus programme which sharply reduces the administrative costs of service delivery.

While other councils close libraries and leisure centres we are opening new ones and keeping them open for longer.

Jeff Osborne might reflect on how Wiltshire Council is managing to deliver more with less funding, providing great value for money to our communities. It would be welcome, and unexpected, if he and his fellow former Lib Dem mavericks would for a change be honest and positive about what is actually being delivered to the people of Wiltshire by their council in very challenging economic times.

Stuart Wheeler, Cabinet member, Internal transformation, culture and the arts, Conservative member Burbage and the Bedwyns, Wiltshire Council.