AS a member of the public who spoke at the City of York Council meeting calling for the resignation of the council leader, I am shocked and dismayed to discover that not one single Green or Lib Dem councillor had the courage or honesty to support the vote of no confidence.

This whole sorry saga is not a party political issue. It is about whether our elected representatives conduct themselves in accordance with the Nolan Principles referring particularly to truth, openness and integrity.

I don’t know Councillor Aspden and I don’t know whether he is a bully or not but the Public Interest Report is quite clear that the actions taken around the departure of Mary Weastell were inappropriate and potentially illegal. Councillor Aspden was central to this decision making and he failed to declare an interest and withdraw from the key meeting in February 2020.

In any other era, any council leader, of any political persuasion when faced with a report of this significance, would have done the honourable thing and resigned.

He didn’t and the failure of his Lib Dem colleagues, and even more shamefully the Green members of the council, to make that decision for him is a disgrace.

It reflects badly on them, it is embarrassing for our city and is a further blow to the respect for politicians and so is a danger to democracy itself.

David Ellis,

Abbotsway,York