I’d like to draw attention to a few things I noticed in the article about the latest City of York Council spending spree on new signposts (£700k new signs set to be installed, May 6).

This is the same council which claims it hasn’t got any money to spend on providing your basic services such as green bin collections, but can always afford to put their own allowances up.

The budget quoted is £700,000 for 56 new signposts. First there’s nothing wrong with the signposts we already have or that a fresh coat of paint couldn’t fix. Secondly it works out at £12,500 per sign. Yes that’s right folks, you can now buy a piece of metal indicating the way to the Minster, the huge Gothic building dominating the skyline, for the bargain price of £12,500. Or did all the money go on consultation fees?

Given the current crisis, this kind of reckless expenditure should be dropped immediately. And because it was initiated in 2017 it should also serve as a reminder as to why voting carefully in a local election matters. Time and money wasted as usual, a sign of the times.

Dr Scott Marmion, Woodthorpe, York

Editor’s note: Half the cost of the new signs is being met by the York BID