I WAS astounded and disturbed to read the feature article (The Press, December 5) concerning whether or not York should be part of West Yorkshire Combined Authority.

Personally I feel that York, apart from not having any geographical boundaries with any of the other proposed members of the authority, has much more empathy and relationships with North Yorkshire.

However, my main and serious consternation is that the city council and Government has launched this as a “major consultation” process with a closing date of January 2.

Taking out weekends, Christmas and New Year holidays that leaves 11 working days for citizens and businesses to respond, even assuming people are aware that this consultation is taking place.

Those who do not take The Press will be sublimely unaware of this ridiculous process.

This idea should be arrested before it develops its own semi secret momentum and becomes a deal by default.

Stuart Robson, Black Dyke Lane, Upper Poppleton.

 

• CAN anyone remember a certain John Prescott holding a referendum on whether to hold a referendum (true!) regarding a Yorkshire Parliament?

The result was a slap in the face. Nobody in their right mind would commit York to a junior partnership in a juggernaut council dominated by the West Yorkshire urban giant Leeds (The Press, December 5).

If in doubt, ask the worthy citizens of Ilkley what it was like to be swallowed by Bradford or the good folk of Otley, now a milch cow for Leeds, or Strensall/Haxby to be taken from Ryedale and put protesting into Greater York.

To find out that our local council has been discussing this proposal for a year, behind the veil of course, should be no surprise, I suppose, since it is their usual procedure in anything controversial. That doesn’t make it any the less insulting to the people of York.

It is bad enough to suffer our local councilors and their disastrous policies, Lendal Bridge, etc.

Does anyone think York would have much say in Metro-Yorkshire? Pigs will fly first. I hope that our city will give this proposal what it deserves, an Agincourt salute.

Charles Rushton, Pasture Close, Strensall.