WHAT has happened to David Shakespeare? After years fighting against those who have argued that social services need more resources he has at last acknowledged that to maintain services to the elderly and disabled, extra cash is needed.

No one should underestimate what has happened. This leading member of the Tory Party, who campaigned just a few months ago for tax cuts and for a reduction in public spending, has turned his back on the main plank of the Tory Manifesto.

His attitude to Government spending has clearly changed but does he really understand the important social care responsibility that the county council has? I doubt it.

If he did he would not be writing to Tony Blair with threats of closure to justify arguments for more money. He would be arguing about the importance and value of services and persuading the council that the responsibility rests with them.

My fear is that we are seeing the start of cruel political game. Mr Shakespeare wants to be in a position to blame someone else when decisions about closures are being made. And if it can be a Labour Government that will suit him fine.

Mr Shakespeare is very selective with the information he provides and sadly your comment in last week's BFP did little to help public understanding of the issue. It is not true to say that the Government has forgotten social services. Look at the facts.

Bucks received an additional 6.6 per cent for social services this year more than twice the rate of inflation, and will receive a comparable amount for the next two years. They have also received special grants totalling more than £6m to help deal with a range of issues faced by social services.

Mr Shakespeare's premise that the Government cares little for social services is totally wrong and the facts speak for themselves. It would also be helpful to your readers if he took the trouble to check his facts before writing to the BFP. Perhaps he found it convenient to his argument to double the projected social care budget overspend.

Neither did he tell us that for the last three years the council has underspent its budget for older people's services by more than £1m each year.

The Labour Group on the county council would like to see more Government support for social services in Bucks and we have argued for it consistently.

We took the same view when we had a Tory Government providing pathetic annual increases. Mr Shakespeare had nothing to say in those days about the need for more Government spending.

Cnty Cllr Trevor Fowler, Leader of the Labour Group, Buckinghamshire County, Council Hillary Close, High Wycombe