So now we learn the Barbican centre needs something approaching £1 million pounds-worth of repairs to put right the deterioration of the building that occurred while councillors arguing over its future lost a golden development opportunity (£818,000 to revive Barbican Centre, The Press, April 21).

That would mean every council taxpayer stumping up another £20 or so because of poor decision-making by this Lib-Dem council. Add to that figure the projected £8 million-plus to keep it going for 30 years, and the costs of bringing the Barbican back into use are frankly unjustifiable.

Having knocked down on cost grounds the only swimming pool in the town centre that formed part of the complex, why not go the whole hog and clear the site?

Otherwise we shall have yet another millstone hung around our necks. We’ve had quite enough of escalating expenditure associated with council dithering over Hungate, Terry’s, The Quarter and The Yorkshire Wheel, thank you.

Leadership and positive decision-making is what we are entitled to expect from our elected representatives; instead we get pontificating, procrastination and then wringing of hands.

That is, of course, unless it is someone’s pet scheme, like the Water End cycling project, when suddenly half a million pounds can be spent to produce very little in the way of road improvements. When will City of York Council learn there are costs associated with not doing things, just as much as there are costs of doing things?

It’s bad enough to fritter away scarce resources during good economic times, but in times of recession it is unforgivable.

More thought about saving the public purse to spend on real priorities wouldn’t go amiss. And it would be nice to have a few timely and informed decisions influenced by the public to rid us of the planning constipation this council seems to suffer.

Alan Charlesworth, Old Earswick, York.