LABOUR has brought disaster to this city with its conflicting policies on retail and transport.

Firstly it backs a massive expansion of out-of-town retail – against all national, regional, and local policy – predicted to cripple the city centre economy with losses of £50,000,000 per year by the council’s own retail consultants as trade moves to the ring road.

Then it botches its own plan to reduce congestion and air pollution in the city centre so badly that the trial is abandoned without even presenting the evidence of its success or failure.

Finally, in a complete reversal, it invites more cars to pollute the city centre with free parking, but only for a year, when presumably Labour will be thrown out of office, with the lost car-parking revenue paid for by the developers of the out-of-town retail park.

Such mixed-up thinking brings the word “chickens” and “headless” to mind...

Coun Dave Taylor, Green Party councillor for Fishergate, New Walk Terrace, York.