THE suggestion that council tax could rise by at least six per cent next year (September 15) fills me with horror.

While welcoming the suggestion by the council leader Steve Galloway that York people help target examples of waste and unnecessary expenditure, the latter is clearly impossible without a full breakdown of proposed expenditure for next year and a chance to compare figures with this year.

I note the situation is to be explained in ward committee newsletters. As someone living in an area with a parish council, I suggest the additional, unnecessary,layer of bureaucracy represented by ward committees is done away with to save half a million pounds.

Interestingly, York MP Hugh Bayley is quoted as saying the Liberal Democrats must take responsibility for their own spending plans. No doubt they will, but I recall past Labour councils asking the people of York to suggest examples of where cuts could be made to proposed budgets.

Is he suggesting that such action is irresponsible when applied to the Lib Dems, yet responsible when applied to Labour?

R A Starks,

The Green,

Elvington, York.

Updated: 09:24 Saturday, September 20, 2003