LAST week s press reports quoted Cllr Howard Rolfe saying of Uttlesford District Council that the council was quite near to being in a position where we are bankrupt . That s only a slight backtracking from Cllr Robert Chambers previous claim that the

LAST week's press reports quoted Cllr Howard Rolfe saying of Uttlesford District Council that the council was "quite near to being in a position where

we are bankrupt".

That's only a slight backtracking from Cllr Robert Chambers' previous claim that the Lib Dems were about to bankrupt the council.

There is no doubt that financial mistakes were made in the past 12 months - before and since the May elections - for which some members of staff have paid the personal price.

Most of the shortfall was not the result of political decision making.

Neither the Conservatives or the Lib Dems themselves caused the problem, though both bear the ultimate responsibility to the public.

Unfortunately, the council's Conservative leadership seems to be reliving the spring elections and wishing to continue their blame campaign against LibDem councillors rather than getting on with the job of stabilising Uttlesford.

Even staff members are asking why the Tories are looking backwards rather than working with them and other parties to get the show back on the road.

So would new and old leading Conservative members please stop exaggerating the situation by talking about bankruptcy? There is an immediate financial shortfall, which amounts to a manageable problem.

It is not a crisis and never was one. It is still possible by loose language to talk the council into a crisis by, for instance, frightening away the smart and ambitious employees who have done so much in recent years to make Uttlesford a better council.

Cllr Alan Dean,

Stansted South

Cllr Geoffrey Sell,

Stansted North

Uttlesford District Council