I noticed last week an effort by the local Lib Dems to award one of their own an honour being rejected for a change (Civic honour snub for Sir Vince Cable, February 14). Whatever you may think of Cable I would hope everybody would agree you really shouldn’t be using such systems to reward former players from your own side, whether it be a mere honorary title or a life peerage. So for once I was grateful to the other parties for blocking it.

It’s also obvious to me that the only group who has been given real Freedom of the City, not to mention freedom from planning regulations, over the last few years is Spark:York.

Lets see if the assurances given by all the councillors to clamp down on their breaches of contract obligations actually materialise. I’ll wager they won’t.

Dr Scott Marmion, Woodthorpe, York

Muscling in on the Spark debate

Tracey Carter, City of York Council’s assistant director for regeneration, says Spark will be subject to a ‘more muscular’ lease, including a possibility that the lease could be terminated (Spark:York’s lease will be extended - but with ‘more muscle’, The Press, February 15).

This statement does not stand up to examination. A copy of the existing lease was obtained under Freedom of Information. This document clearly states, among other things, that Spark must comply in every respect with Town & Country Planning Acts, must not not cause a nuisance and can have no amplified music. It also gives powers to the council to take back the site at short notice if the lease clauses are breached.

It is manifestly obvious that the problem of bringing Spark into compliance with its obligations lies not with the wording of an existing lease but the unwillingness of City of York Council to use contractual powers already available to it to.

In addition to an extended lease Spark also require fresh planning permission because their existing consent requires the site to be cleared in June 2020.

Will the planning department at the council be disregarding this requirement, just as they have ignored all previous planning obligations that Spark have failed to comply with? Other users of the planning system who have experienced a somewhat less forgiving attitude will be watching this matter very closely.

Matthew Laverack, Architect,

Lord Mayors Walk, York