AS the latest World Health Organisation report on air pollution shows York breaching safe levels of particulates, we again have to ask why the city’s councillors are incapable of agreeing a Local Plan and are unable to transform public transportation in the city.

I was briefly excited by The Press headline announcing a breakthrough to the 60-year deadlock that has blighted York (The Press, May 5), but turned the page to find that Tories and Lib Dems, currently in power, were claiming success and Labour were denouncing the plan.

Two years ago the positions were reversed, and so it has been for decades.

There are two possible solutions to this crisis. One, all the parties work together, something they seem incapable of doing and, two, the city is ruled by either a coalition of Lib Dems and Labour or Tories and Labour.

That way the ruling coalition, whichever it is, will represent the centre and the doughnut.

Lib Dems and Tories stick together through fear; each is frightened they will cede electoral success to the other if they team up with Labour but, until our council is led by a coalition that represents all of York, we will continue with traffic jams and pollution.

Christian Vassie, Blake Court, Wheldrake, York