SIR – If Coun Glen Miller believes that £14 million of the Council’s budget savings are unachievable (Letters, March 18), then why did his Conservative budget amendment include the very same saving?

His own group leader, Coun Hawkesworth stated that their differences with the budget are “on the margins”, and just before the budget was set she wrote to the Ilkley Gazette to say: “I believe that most front-line services can be retained through changing working practices, removal of duplication and de-layering of management tiers. Hopefully, this will be reflected in the Council’s budget.”

Now those very savings have been reflected in the budget, the Conservatives appear to have shamelessly, cynically and opportunistically changed their minds.

David Cameron’s insistence on front-loading massive cuts to councils, particularly northern ones, means that difficult decisions have had to be made quickly.

Bradford’s Conservatives had every opportunity to participate in making the decisions forced on us by their Government, but chose to shy away from them.

If Coun Miller thinks that the Council should not do what it can to deliver significant savings through improving efficiency, then perhaps he can tell us which £14 million worth of frontline services he would choose to cut instead.

Coun Imran Hussain, Deputy Leader, Bradford Council, City Hall