I HAVE just received the latest copy of Your City containing the "opinion" poll.

The banner headline is "Your Budget, Your Say".

Perhaps the council should have run this past their trading standards department before having the cheek to send this out to council tax payers.

What an Orwellian concept! It wouldn't be so bad if voting for a massive ten per cent increase would actually lead to any meaningful improvements - that would be far too radical.

We should be grateful that the council has consulted the Residents' Opinion Survey Panel to see how the money should be spent (presumably allowing for the minimum five per cent increase) before the budget has been set.

Perhaps I should try that one? Decide how much I would like and then demand an appropriate increase in my pension.

See, it's easy. All I have to do then is con them into thinking it was their idea!

If the council has any understanding of democracy, they would include a full range of options, including a ten per cent reduction. After all, if the council failed all Government targets, they would get more Government money.

I fully intend to return my postcard marked "none of the above" and I will stick a stamp on it - to help with their costs.

Could it be if thousands of such replies were received the council would have a re-think?

Dream on - that would be democratic!

Peter Bainbridge,

Hawthorne Avenue,

Haxby, York.

Updated: 11:20 Tuesday, December 21, 2004