In anticipation of the deluge of letters from the Conservatives' spin machine' attempting to justify their financial mismanagement of the council, I must set the record straight with regard to Councillor Gavin Barwell's letter.

Although Gavin doesn't like hearing it, I remind him again that only in March this year the then Labour Council was judged by the independent Audit Commission to be in the top seven councils in London for delivering value for money' and in March set a balanced budget.

What is alarming is that the Conservatives genuinely do not seem to understand the difference between budget pressures and a budget deficit. All councils - including the last Labour one around this time of year - have significant budget pressures. The question then is what you do about it.

The Labour administration pushed ahead with internal town hall efficiencies, fast tracked money saving IT programs and even cut town hall catering costs and cancelled bottled water.

This stands in stark contrast to what is currently happening; panic has broken out in the new Tory administration, and frankly it is plain to all in the town hall they have lost political control of the council's budget process.

The Warehouse hears its grant is cut from a Croydon Guardian journalist, the district auditor is investigating the £503,000 paid to a builder to cancel a new sports centre, the most vulnerable users of social services - the elderly and the young - are seeing their services cut or punitive charges introduced, money for road safety is being cut and even the cost of dying is increased through cremation charges.

And what's the Conservatives' big idea' to tackle this? Well the budget papers for cabinet show they intend to raise an extra £1.5million per year from parking charges.

That is the equivalent of an extra 30,000 parking tickets per year after they have privatised the council's parking services. When you take this alongside the cuts to the road safety budget it's almost comical.

These ill-judged decisions are potentially damaging people's lives and one can only hope until the next local elections there are perhaps some Conservative councillors who understand local government finance enough to get a grip on this situation that is causing so much distress right across our town.

Councillor Tony Newman Labour Group Leader