IN TOKYO last week, I saw shelves stacked high with KitKat chocolate made by Nestlé in Japan, with exotic flavours such as green tea and strawberry.

I felt proud that KitKat was born in York but disappointed that the brand’s globalisation had not brought greater prosperity directly to York. The Terry’s Chocolate Orange brand has also gone global but only memories and an empty factory remain in York. The York Means Business campaign launched by The Press should be commended for the faith it has shown in our great city and we now need to consider what kind of city York wants to be in ten years.

Tourism will always be important to our city but I do not want York turned into a fading relic for the merely curious. It needs major employers who create jobs. In a globalised world, we need a clear strategy to attract major global employers. It may mean a commitment to new factories, new houses, new developments in Monk’s Cross and new roads, but the result will be a vibrant modern city that treasures its heritage yet looks forward to an exciting future. Are we up for such a strategy? I fear we are not but hope we are.

Nick Emmerson, Centurion Square, Skeldergate, York.