The other day I travelled to support the residents on Acomb in their fight to support the recycling centre at Beckfield Lane. While there and chatting to local residents I was horrified to hear about the new charges being imposed by the council upon community groups wishing to fundraise at community fetes.

I was told that the price of a stall at the Hob Moor Community Fete has been jacked up to between £20 and £80; beyond the means of many small community groups-often backed by those on low incomes-and already reeling from the withdrawal of ward committee funding and rate relief.

It is well known that if given sufficient resources and the means of empowerment communities police themselves.

This council seems determined to remove that by making it hard for local charities and action groups to raise funds and promote themselves.

Richard Hill, Scarborough Terrace, York.

• The proposed cuts to park rangers across the city has had a knock-on affect across the entire voluntary sector.

Many local voluntary groups depend upon money raised from local fetes stewarded by community rangers.

By upping their charges to as high as £80 a stall City of York Council has managed to price participation in civic life beyond the means of those in low-income groups.

Community groups in leafy parts of Fishergate and Heworth will be all right, but what about those in Tang Hall or Acomb?

Josh Allen, Blakeney Place, York.