NOTWITHSTANDING Ken Thornber’s (leader of the Tory group at Hampshire County Council) rampage through the services and jobs before the start of the current financial year, such that he now has at Hampshire County Council some £48m in balances and well over £248m in investments, he now proposes to seek to do four years of ‘soft’ landing in two years ‘hard’.

Knowing the Silver Fox over the years, this is plainly a means to create the capacity to reduce the council tax level at Hampshire going into the county elections of 2013; about two years’ time.

Never mind the needs to Hampshire’s residents, the services required and responses to increasing difficulties its what provisions in the strategy once again are now becoming clear.

There is also to be the further reductions in staffing both direct and indirect (it’s normally of every one direct job one in the private sector goes) so at a stroke he is set to add to the misery for many.

It is getting to be obscene that in the midst of so much need in these challenging times Ken is looking more and more like the emperor, with senate, in charge of a treasury counting his money.

Then of course we have the people mover group of IsitFair who, like the Tea Party in the US, wish us all to have us flail ourselves and consign expenditure to minimalist levels whilst they can seek to preach purity.

Once again, Ken’s bankrupt leadership is there for all to see and becomes even more bizarre when even Eric Pickles says if you’ve got reserves you should be spending them.

That hasn’t stopped him in the past but currently someone needs to confront and stop him in the future or else the landscape will be even bleaker.

CLLR M ROBERTS, Deputy Leader Rushmoor Council Opposition