WHAT is the world coming to? Volunteers needed for “City clean-up” announces Cllr Andrew Waller (The Press, February 15).

I mistakenly believed that the creation of the Business Improvement District (BID), whereby some £800,000 was contributed by business in the city, was aimed exactly at this sort of task.

On checking, two of the priorities set out by this initiative are to provide “extra street cleaning and litter collection” to complement the city council’s responsibilities. Perhaps Cllr Waller has forgotten these plans.

Volunteering, while extremely valuable, should not be called upon to undertake tasks already the legal responsibility of the council ably assisted by others.

Bob Towner, Hobgate, York