I AM flabbergasted, not that Rod Hills, as council leader is to be commemorated (The Press, February 16), as human beings have notoriously short memories and the law of averages means he doubtless did some good, but at the chosen location, the Barbican.

Were it up to him, the Barbican would have been converted to some combination of casino and conference centre for the two hotels he was determined to site on the area, then partly occupied by the Barbican Swimming Pool, that he wanted razed to the ground.

The group of citizens, myself among them, who fought his plans, won a decision to save swimming on the site, but sadly, complicated facts that I need not repeat here, meant we eventually lost our pool.

But we did learn a great deal about Mr Hills, his mindset and tactics.

Who, in the name of Neptune, thought this location up? Someone still at primary school in 2000?

No, hang on, 18 schools lost their weekly swimming lessons at their local pool when the Barbican was closed – maybe someone not originally from York?

What a slap in the face this location is. I urge someone with a sense of York’s recent history to change the location without delay.

Dorothy Nicholson, Grange Garth, York.