SARAH Tanburn was hired by City of York Council to shepherd through the Local Plan.

It was a controversial £700 a day appointment, but now Ms Tanburn has sparked a new altercation in a report that says major developments in York have suffered because of council failings, political uncertainty and underinvestment.

She also says the city is seen as high-risk, with potential partners or investors sceptical of the council's ability to deliver.

Not all the report is damning; the council is noted as having a good record on major transport projects, but it says other big projects have languished and the authority has developed a bad reputation among investors.

Undoubtedly when politics are involved it can be difficult to get things done, but we feel this council has achieved some notable successes.

Good progress has been made at the Terry's site, York Central, and British Sugar; York has also become a UNESCO city of media arts, because of its thriving digital sector, and insurers Hiscox certainly didn't consider this is a high-risk place to do business.

York has a buoyant economy; one of the strongest in England and it survived the recession better than most, so while this report is a welcome analysis, it should not be seen as a stick with which to beat the council. Rather it is a way to move things forward - and positively.