YOU report that Carl Les, the leader of North Yorkshire County Council, is proposing further massive cuts to the services that the council provides. These cuts are forced by the reduction in central government grant, part of George Osborne’s economically ignorant and ideologically-driven crusade against the public sector.

Obviously the council has to plan how to cope with this assault on its ability to provide the services people need. But I am surprised by the almost complacent tone of the remarks you attribute to Mr Les. Is he angry about having to impose austerity on his county on behalf of George Osborne? If so, has he expressed his anger to the Chancellor and to our local MP? If not, why not? Did he really come into public life to preside over the slow death of public services?

These vindictive cuts are bad in themselves, but they should be a cause for anger for two other reasons. First, they are unnecessary: the books could be balanced by increasing taxes on those who could well afford it, collecting all the tax that’s due, and cancelling Trident and HS2. Second, the Government has no mandate for imposing austerity. It is in power because of the perverse operation of our out-dated electoral system. If a government came to power with the votes of a quarter of the electorate in a third world country, we would describe it as a coup.

We hear a lot from the Government about threats to our way of life and British values. Decent public services are a well-established British tradition, even more important than warm beer and cricket. Providing services such as libraries, public transport, and above all social services for an ageing population, is the mark of a caring society, and used to have cross-party support. We should be proud of our public services, but they under severe and imminent threat from an unrepresentative group of dangerous fanatics. Unfortunately this group has hijacked the Conservative Party and the Government.

Even if Carl Les isn’t angry about this, we – the people who use the public services he is being forced to cut – should be.

Dave Dalton, Richmond.