REGARDING York Guildhall's mix-up with Mr French's registration to vote (April 22), the same thing happened to me when I moved from Cheshire to York in the spring of 2003.

I too received voting cards in 2004 for the two people who had previously occupied my house, despite the fact I had filled in the necessary form to register for voting.

On informing the council of this mistake I received a letter explaining I would be fined if I did not fill in a form to register. When I told them I had done this the previous year, they said I couldn't have done because my name was not on their records.

The attitude from the Guildhall was demanding and rude - fill in the form or I would be fined, and they could not possibly have made a mistake.

Only after I contacted an MP to see if he could help did I receive a letter of apology from Guildhall stating the problem was due to a "clerical error".

I lost my right to vote on that occasion. This year I have received the correct voting card.

I am appalled at the arrogant and unhelpful attitude of the present York council. They seem to forget they are in their positions to look after the interests of residents, not to puff up their own egos.

They do not listen to local people. A good example is the current dissent about exorbitant parking charges and the effects on local businesses.

Like many people in official positions, they need to get out of their offices, forget about computers and investigate what is happening to ordinary people every day.

Mrs B Kinder,

Leadley Croft,

Copmanthorpe, York.

Updated: 10:48 Thursday, May 05, 2005