MIKE Newsome asks to see the evidence (Letters, March 26) for my explanation of the presentation of the council tax rise on our bills.

New readers should note that the like-for-like rise in council tax of 8.53 per cent had to be shown as a rise of 2.93 per cent because the content of the council tax had changed. This is how councils were instructed by Government to present it.

This low figure is logical if you are trained in local government accountancy but is of no practical value to ordinary mortals who just want to know by how much the bill is going up.

Mr. Newsome says I "...seek to lay the blame on Government". I most certainly do and the instructions from Government came in the form of statutory instrument No 3081 dated, believe it or not, December 25, 2003, and signed by Phil Hope, parliamentary under secretary of state at the office of the Deputy Prime Minister.

I have sent a copy of this document to Mr Newsome and also to the editor.

There they will find that even the exact wording to be used in the explanatory note at the bottom of the council tax bill is laid down.

I hope Mr Newsome would agree with me that it is ridiculous that local government is interfered with and controlled to this degree, at public expense.

Please send all complaints about misleading presentation to your MP and also to Phil Hope and send all apologies to me.

Quentin Macdonald,

Executive member for resources,

Manor Farm,

Church Lane,

Nether Poppleton, York.

Updated: 10:21 Wednesday, March 31, 2004