ANONYMOUS Labour-supporting commentators on The Press website have tried to justify the expensive King’s Square reconstruction by saying the work had to be done anyway because of old, broken and uneven paving slabs. This is not the case.

As a retired builder, I have considerable experience of hard landscaping works. For a budget of just a few thousand pounds, the street clutter could have been removed and cracked and uneven York stone flags could have been replaced. The square would have retained its character and been perfectly fit for decades to come.

The £490,000 reinvigoration monies could then have been more wisely spent repairing the many shocking roads and footpaths in residential areas where York citizens actually live.

John Jones, Sand Hutton, York.