THE more I see of York I wonder why the city gains so many accolades from outside, along with the awards for tourism, etc.

I see inadequate street lighting; streets and roads in need of major repairs; footpaths in need of repair; litter and graffiti on almost every street; I see a lack of housing and council houses being sold.

I see most of the council tax collected; I see fines for parking and littering offences being paid; I see vast amounts of revenue coming in from residents’ parking schemes, car parks and other services.

So why is there still such an imbalance? It looks like all take from the council and no give.

Those things I have listed will only get worse, then who will have to pay? Yes, it’s the residents again.

So costs rise and the service goes down. Please try and put improvements in place rather than cutting services.

Gary Mitchell, The Groves, York.