TORY Cllr Bob Lawton's concern (Daily Echo, June 13) about matching council tax across BCP seems a bit rich.

The indignant language from a leading Tory only shows how bitter they are at losing their ‘sure thing’. This from the same Tories that proposed a merger forcing such rises while still cutting services, barely six months after an election (2015) in which they didn't mention such plans. Who then forced through their Tory 'city' just in time for it to be irreversible. Never mind supporting a Tory minister overriding Christchurch's vote against it (while denying a vote to the rest of us).

Rising council tax also owes much to parliament’s Tories, since they continued to slash central government funding to local services that had reduced postcode lotteries. As the largest costs for councils are now in caring for the elderly, this has further hit communities like ours that attract retirees (who ‘paid in’ elsewhere).

Perhaps worst, Tory cuts to children's services are leaving vulnerable kids without the support they need and storing up social problems for our future. Stacking the odds against children is perhaps a better use of 'morally indefensible'.

The Alliance proposal to improve and level the services across the conurbation paired with council tax rises is a valiant attempt to soften blows the Tories have already struck.

Well done to the people of our three towns for seeing past the Tory spin and voting in progressives that care about people, not just the creation of their own fiefdom.

RICH DOUGLAS, Library Road, Branksome