THE council report claiming developers had been put off investing in York because of political uncertainty is absurd.

In May 2010, Labour had a clear overall majority and five years to the next election. There was nothing uncertain about the political power it possessed. It was cast iron and determined.

Developers failed to come flocking to the city not because of political uncertainty but precisely the opposite.

They could be certain that the demands they faced would not be worth the effort or risk of development; and the political stranglehold ensured no prospect of satisfactory negotiations.

The report’s proposal that the solution lay in more officers and more money to entice unwilling investment shows just how far away from reality the senior management at City of York Council has become.

Matthew Laverack, Lord Mayor’s Walk, York.