Councillor Richard Cornelius claims that there was a clear victory for the Tories in the elections and they have a mandate.

With a potential majority of one in the council over the other parties, that is the slimmest possible of majorities.

The Tories also received a smaller share of the vote than they did in 2010.

That can hardly be called receiving a mandate to carry on with budget cuts and privatisation.

Further reductions in council services will affect real people who have already been made to pay too much for the cost of a crisis that is not their responsibility.

It is worth remembering that in this period of austerity, Cllr Cornelius’ administration in Barnet had bought two ceremonial Daimler cars at a cost of £120,000.

Do the Tories claim to have a mandate to continue with this sort extravagance while cutting back budgets for services to the most vulnerable in our our community, such as the cut of £30,000 to Resources for Autism which provides holidays and after-school schemes for children with autism?

Fred Leplat

Address supplied