COUNCILLORS in York will meet this evening for the last time before the election in May, in a meeting likely to be dominated by debates over housing and the cost of living.

Motions will be put to City of York Council calling for reforms to Right to Buy, revisions to the draft Local Plan, and power for the council to control private rents and bus fares.

Labour Cllr Steve Burton, who has written a motion on the cost of living, said: “Our motion sends an important message to the public that common sense measures to support hard working people are important at a time when they have seen their incomes decrease in real terms.

“The average nine percent decrease in incomes for Yorkshire households is extremely worrying and supports the case nationally that more should be done to stem the increase in household bills, something which many feel has got out of control."

He is also calling for business rate cuts for small firms which pay the Living Wage as well as a freeze on energy bills.

Another motion put forward by Conservative councillor Paul Healey calls for realistic changes to the Local Plan, saying the plans so far have focused on "inflated statistics" which need to be urgently revised to make sure the city gets a workable plan soon.

This evening will also see councillors vote on whether to grant the Queen’s Gurkha Signals Regiment freedom of the city.