THE recent Peer Review of the council makes for bleak reading.

The findings highlight a distrust by senior councillors of the professional workforce employed to deliver services to the people of York, with a them and us attitude between senior politicians and council officers.

According to the Peer team, made up of council officers and Conservative and Lib Dem councillors from elsewhere, York’s coalition is responsible for a lack of strategic approach to setting budgets, and for a lack of planning for the sort of financial restraint that is required in current times.

The team points out serious cultural problems exist where inappropriate behaviours have been shared and there is an absence of visible leadership. Corporate priorities are not communicated to the workforce.

Worryingly the reviewing team said there is little focus on outcomes and officer advice in the budget process counted for little. There is a lack of ownership of key issues in the city and the Peer Review team says the coalition needs a vision.

The Conservative-Lib Dem coalition need to tackle these problems and challenges as a priority if it’s to deliver value for money for York residents. The full sorry story can be read here: http://bit.ly/1XoUXZh.

Cllr Mary Cannon (Labour), St Paul’s Square, Holgate, York