VANITY projects of public authorities are nothing new, but they are usually disguised as vital initiatives, marketed as imperatives and vehemently justified.

Earswick Parish Council is different in that it has refused to explain to its residents why it is wasting money and time regurgitating a Village Plan that was widely consulted about in 2012 in an attempt to produce a rose by any other name as a Neighbourhood Plan.

A lengthy and comprehensive consultation throughout Earswick in 2012 produced a statement in the Village Plan that further expansion cannot take place without unjustifiably sacrificing recreational space or unacceptably encroaching onto designated Green Belt.

Nothing could be plainer – could it?

Allan Charlesworth, Old Earswick, York