Last week's letter from Councillor Fraser accuses the Liberal Democrats of ignoring the elderly. He is quite wrong.

Kingston provides the best social care in the whole of London and has continued to provide for all levels of care while every other borough across the capital has reduced theirs, including all those run by Councillor David Fraser's Tory colleagues.

In Kingston, the Tories opposed the new Devon Way Centre and the replacement Amy Woodgate residential home - both designed to provide the services he is now so concerned about losing.

The council is helping more people to live at home and have independent lives.

As social care costs are rising rapidly, it makes sense to re-invest money into preventing the deterioration of adults into higher level needs. This is what the council will be doing, and it is not because we want to ignore the elderly - it is because we want them to be able to continue to live in their own homes, knowing that the council has a range of services that they can easily access.

The irony for Coun Fraser and his Tory colleagues is that their proposals would see a rise in the council tax of well over 10 per cent - would that be good for the elderly?

COUNCILLOR PENNY SHELTON Liberal Democrat for Norbiton Ward