WE read Coun Vassie's passionate defence of councillors' free parking passes (Letters, July 4) with great interest - especially since our right to park free at work was taken away some years ago.

Coun Vassie makes an eloquent case of the difficulties faced by people on modest wages and with family commitments struggling to travel into the city centre by any other means than car, and why they therefore have little option but to drive and park.

So as trade unionists representing council staff, we can't help but ask: how come these same arguments seemingly carry no weight when put forward (by us and by the trades council) on behalf of modestly-paid council and other city centre workers?

In other words, if free parking is so essential for councillors to do their jobs, why not for the rest of us?

We hope Coun Vassie and his colleagues might take the opportunity to review their policy on charging for parking at work by city centre workers.

Otherwise it runs the risk of looking like a double standard.

Ben Drake,

For the branch committee,

York City UNISON,

Swinegate Court East,

York.

Updated: 09:50 Friday, July 08, 2005