How does City of York Council justify £400k for an early retirement payment, with an apparent non-disclosure agreement, for its Chief Executive? (Council boss to get £400K settlement, February 22). This comes on top of a previous spend of £1 million on 68 gag clauses (The Press, July 23, 2019).

The council cut the money to keep the disabled children’s transport service going and cut social care to the bone for people desperately in need of such help. This latest payout is outrageous when we have a city full of pot holed roads and many other things too numerous to mention that need such money urgently. How many more enforcement officers in taxi licensing could this money have provided if the council from its Chief Executive downwards had dealt with the Uber problem properly from day one by removing unlicensed, unregulated out-of-town taxis from this city?

Peter Boulton,

Orchard Gardens, York

There’s no disguising this is taxpayers’ money

It’s amazing what can be decided under the guise of a ‘secret’ meeting and strict confidentiality. What can’t be disguised is the sum to be paid out to an employee of City of York Council, whose time in the job was minimal. The figure agreed is staggeringly enormous, and it is all taxpayers’ money.

Peter Rickaby,

West Park, Selby

This makes councillors’ pay rises look frugal

Blackadder fans will recall the famous episode when Baldrick spent £400,000 of the Prince Regent’s money buying his Dream Turnip, acquired only after he had to haggle. Now City of York Council has gone one better and wasted the same amount of money to get rid of the Chief Executive Mary Weastell.

This makes councillors recent pay rises look frugal. Why is this happening? It is all being done using our money.

Dr Scott Marmion, Woodthorpe, York

400,000 demands on council funds

Cllr D`Agorne claimed, in his letter about the St George’s Field car park (February 19) that ‘there are many demands on council funds’. I can think of 400,000 reasons why there is very little money in the coffers following a recent council meeting (Council boss to get 400K settlement, February 22).

On a separate issue, a Tory paper, ‘In Touch’, boldly talks on page 4 about ‘Making your streets safer with 20,000 more police’.

The Tories obviously take Yorkies for fools. In March 2010 there were 143,734 Police officers in England & Wales. By 2016 this was 124,066, down 19,668. There has now been £750 million earmarked to recruit new police officers - the same Tories got rid of in the first place.

The Tory newspaper should perhaps be renamed ‘Out of Touch’, which would be more apt.

And by the way, where is our new champion of the North, Boris? Perhaps he has no wellies to visit flood-hit areas?

William Moore, Lochrin Place, York