WHAT a nice surprise we had on Thursday when the postie delivered our council tax details for the year 2014 to 2015.

We had been told that the increase would be 1.9 per cent. How did Mr Alexander come to this amount? He must have looked into his magic box or something.

Another Labour mistake. The government has said it would give the council a tax-free year if it wanted it. But instead the council decides to clobber the citizens of York again.

Why don’t they take the government’s offer and give us a tax-free year for once?

Tom Mitchell, Mendip Close, Huntington, York.