RICHARD BRIDGE claims I have attacked the poor (Letters 7 January). I have not.

He knows nothing about my character or he does know but is quite prepared to assassinate it to further his political ambition to become a York councillor. Previous Press campaigns have always been for specific aims with identifiable success.

Laverack Associates contributed £1,000 to the Guardian Angels Campaign to fund a high-dependency unit at York Hospital and produced free architectural drawings on an earlier Raise The Roof Campaign.

Stamp Out Poverty by comparison is nebulous with no universal consensus of poverty and therefore no possibility of declaring success.

It has a political dimension and is biased towards the views of certain individuals and organisations who are driving it forward.

My pointing this out is not an attack on the poor. Mr Bridge’s accusation simply proves the point I make that anyone daring to question the campaign can expect to be unjustly vilified.

Matthew Laverack, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York.