THE recently published report into the state of York’s hotel industry doesn’t always make for pretty reading. Several hoteliers interviewed point to the damage stag and hen parties are doing to the city’s reputation.

One four-star hotel claimed they were ‘alienating another set of clientele’. “It is getting too rough in town,” the hotel said.

Another four-star hotel said York on a Saturday afternoon had become a ‘hen and stag paradise’. “Do we want to become the new Newcastle?” it asked.

The report’s conclusion is hardly surprising: York has enough budget accommodation, and needs more upmarket hotels to attract visitors with more to spend. Not everybody will agree. But the problems of drunkenness and antisocial behaviour, particularly on Friday and Saturday, are well documented.

Our hotels need to appeal to everyone, not only the hen and stag groups. We want families to come to York to enjoy the history and heritage; we want business visitors, and a bigger slice of the conference trade.

Council leader James Alexander welcomes the report. But now that Labour no longer has overall control of the council, he will need to work with other political parties on a proper strategy.

We see no reason why that should not happen. This was an independent report written by business tourism specialists Great Potential. Its findings seem to make sense. Politicians of all parties should now be able to work together to put some of its recommendations into action.