ALL THAT glisters is gold, through a child's eyes. When it comes to the magic of Christmas, the thrill of the circus, the fun of the fair, youngsters cannot see signs of tarnish or tackiness.

So City of York Council should try telling the young ones that the fair in York's Parliament Street is down at heel and tacky.

Councillors believe the fair, made up of what some see as a motley collection of helter-skelter, train ride, tea-cup carousel and other rides outside Marks & Spencer, has become run down, is an eyesore and no longer suitable for the prime spot it occupies during the festive season.

So the council will reassess the use of the area for future years, and would consider, perhaps, a good quality carousel to replace the fairground rides which have become a tradition for the last decade.

That is if it fits in with the voice of the people, through a resident's survey in a forthcoming public consultation.

The danger, here, is just how prime this city centre site is at Christmas. It is proving an obvious money spinner for the stallholders in the French market next door. So the pressure will obviously be on the council to hand over the site to a lucrative commercial enterprise.

Councillors must not be persuaded to end the tradition of children's festive fun in Parliament Street. There's enough entertainment already for the grown-ups. They can get thrills galore on the money-mad merry-go-round of Christmas shopping.

As a reward for being dragged through frenzied crowds, standing outside changing rooms, or waiting in endless queues at frantically-ringing tills, children deserve their fairground treat. It is usually kept in reserve as a ransom for good behaviour.

Perhaps the rides have seen better days, perhaps they are not in keeping with our city centre, but they are fun. If they are to be replaced, they must be replaced by fun activities.

And while we are on the subject of public consultation, it should be the children who have the casting vote.

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