CLLR Andrew Waller may not like it, but Andrew Scott is absolutely right about falling standards of cleanliness in the city centre (The Press, September 15). And blaming someone else for this council’s own failings is quite wrong.

A quick glance at the figures support this view. Calls to the council for graffiti – up by 70 per cent to April 2016. Calls for flytipping up by 25 per cent to April 2016. Calls for litter and other cleansing cases, also up. Calls to deal with weeds and overgrown hedges, also up.

In fact, pretty much every indicator you look at on standards in the public realm show a service being stretched beyond capacity because the Lib Dems and their Tory partners have failed to make it a priority.

The latest development which most residents won’t know about is cutbacks to street cleaning across the city where some streets will be moved from monthly to quarterly cleaning.

It’s not only the city centre that is suffering, it’s the streets residents wish to see their council take some pride in too.

This is just one example of the Tory-Lib Dem coalition’s “commitment” to frontline services.

If that’s a commitment, I’d suggest it’s not the sort we want to see any more of.

Cllr Danny Myers (Labour), Clifton, York

Closure of Archways adds NHS pressure

THE closure of Archways will create even more pressure on the NHS.

Archways takes bed blockers from York Hospital when they require a little more care before returning home, or those who require care packages put in place.

It also takes people who would otherwise go into hospital but can be cared for at Archways.

What we will have in the future is people dying in ambulances outside the hospital because people in A&E can’t be found a bed in the wards, as people are blocking the beds because Archways is closed.

Unless the hospital is going to revert to wheeling sick people to the doors of their homes and abandoning them, bed blocking will only get worse.

The clinical commission group (CCG) have a chance to rethink the closure of Archways as they now have a new leader.

The closure of Archways is more about the CCG saving money as the cost of care can be passed on to the council, and they in turn will pass it on to the person who requires the care. They can pay for it.

Chris Mangham, Lindsey Avenue, Acomb, York

What’s happened to all city’s old bins?

LOOKING at both Andrew Scott and Cllr Andrew Waller and their clash over bins (The Press, September 15), I am aware many were removed and the small bins could not cope.

I had been made aware of one example near Victoria Bar in Bishophill. I was made aware that the community had been using them for disposing household waste.

What’s happened to all the bins we used to have?

Can’t everyone remember the blitz of their removal in different parts of the city?

What short memories some of us have to stopping the practise of dumping waste?

Keith Chapman, Custance Walk, York

Clean streets can’t be too much to ask

THE general public don’t give two hoots as to whether there was intensive lobbying for smaller litter bins in the city centre (The Press, September 15).

Is it not reasonable to ask for enough services and receptacles to be used in order to keep the streets clear of rubbish?

Do our esteemed civic leaders regularly walk the streets to see what everyone else has to put up with?

Geoff Robb, Hunters Close, Dunnington, York