YOUR correspondent S Burton (Letters February 28) could have had a copy of the Liberal Democrat alternative to the budget agreed by Labour and Conservative councillors last week, had he attended the meeting.

As always our proposals are detailed but, rather than relying on arbitrary cuts in public services, they seek to get better value for the council taxpayer.

Hence our proposals involve reducing the council's £80 million purchasing bill and modernising working practices.

Not very glamorous, but preferable, in our view, to cuts in social services or the closure of leisure facilities, both of which remain on Labour's hidden agenda.

Against a background of inadequate central Government support - York would be £28 million better off if we received only the same as the average council - and increasing restrictions on what the council can spend money on - almost half of the budget has to be delegated for school governors to manage - dramatic changes in expenditure profiles are not possible.

We have set out some principles which, over time, would lead to significant savings and the opportunity to redirect resources into key areas.

Unfortunately we are burdened by a new system which requires an executive to respond to scrutiny proposals. It is this system which has been responsible for the secrecy during the budget process and which itself costs more to administer than the lamented and traditional British committee system.

Steve Galloway,

Liberal Democrat Group Leader,

City of York Council,

Stirrup Close, Foxwood,

York.

Updated: 11:18 Tuesday, March 05, 2002