DESPITE all the work being carried out and money spent in the city centre am I the only person who thinks that the whole city is looking scruffy?

In the city centre most of the pavements are filthy and need a good scrub. Outside the city walls, and sometimes inside, most of the roads are lined with weeds at the kerb edge and again where the pavement meets the walls.

I have seen weeds three feet tall in more than one place. I have seen Third World cities looking better presented than some parts of York do at present.

Before some councillor jumps up and says it is all the fault of Government cutbacks, what needs doing is not going to cost very much to put matters right.

A good dose of weedkiller followed by a small team with hand tools and a barrow about a week later would take care of the weeds. I have seen the occasional mechanical sweeper so get them on to the dirty pavements and keep on top of the job with regular visits and maintenance.

Perhaps our elected leaders should look at the city through the eyes of those who live and pay taxes here instead of dreaming up grandiose schemes to spend large sums of money on vanity projects.

Keith Woodland, Galtres Road, York.