I know from many years of experience that preparing and balancing budgets is not easy.

However, in the hard world of industry and commerce there is no easy option of increasing the charge to customers, as is the case in the local council situation.

Industry has, of necessity, to have an honest and detailed look at itself and in many cases has to cut out the non-essentials and luxuries and, in extreme cases, "downsize".

It would be interesting to have details in the York case of which items of expenditure are the statuary requirements of the council charge and which are the non-statutory elements. One could then judge the merits, or otherwise, of the non-statutory parts.

Those making the final decision on what charge to set should consider the fact that many pensioners, and some others in the city, already know what their state pension increase will be from April - 1.1 per cent.

So if the council tax increase of 7.5 per cent is only "less than the cost of a half of bitter a week for most households," their pension increase is only worth about a spoonful of bitter and has to cover all other proposed, or actual, increases from last October to next October. To those setting the council tax above the cost of inflation, remember it is your parents or grandparents who are subsidising any increase above the 1.1 per cent level.

Something will have to give and not all pensioners are over 75 to receive free TV licences later in the year.

A L Dixon,

Coggan Way,

Bishopthorpe, York.

...SO, the York City Fathers in their wisdom, which falls far short of Solomon's, are closing down 'old peoples' homes in the search for economies (Evening Press, February 9).

On one hand we are told that hospital beds are being taken up because of a shortage of suitable home accommodation and, on the other, that hospital treatment is being unduly delayed because of the lack of this community care that is far less expensive than an hospital bed. The elderly of this city need and deserve peace and contentment, not the discontent and uncertainty being forced on them by heartless and unfeeling councillors.

Val Haslock,

Millfield Lane, York.

...The proposed increase in the City of York Council tax will once more hit the elderly very hard. We are to have a very 'generous' increase in pension of 75p a week but the council in their wisdom want more than £1 a week. When are councillors going to take a cut in their allowances?

C K Harrison,

Stone Riggs,

Stockton-on-the-Forest, York.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.