YOUR profile of the new leader of the opposition Conservative group in York highlights exactly why the Tories in York are a spent force.

The Press points out in the profile of Chris Steward (The Press, January 27) that last year he said in an email that, “The UK didn’t need food banks” and he continued to say: “However, York undoubtedly has relative poverty, people are suffering, and we need to address that”.

Surely the answer is for him and his local party to tell their political bosses in Downing Street and Smith Square to change.

Can anyone imagine a guy lost in the fantasy of the stockbroker world running the city council? Readers surely will not need reminding that stockbrokers play with other people’s money but never their own.

He gives no indication as to how he would offset the drastic, cruel and very hard cuts to local council funding from central government that he admits are making people suffer.

He doesn’t inform people of York whether or not he agrees or disagrees with the fact that George Osborne (his own party’s Chancellor) is hurting local authorities unfairly.

Maybe he agrees with the cuts, but doesn’t wish to say so to the people of York.

Howard Perry, St James Place, York.