I AGREE that everyone can play their part in reducing the amount of rubbish we create.

However, once again we see the poor management and handling of an important issue by our council, which is typical of the way they go about their business.

Parking fees, the Arc Light Centre, Park & Ride and many other issues come to mind. It's the Lib Dems, cries Labour.

No it's Labour, is the reply. Frankly, they are as bad as each other.

I often wonder who is running our council. It seems to me that a number of highly placed "civil servant" type council employees are really behind these problems. They decide what they want to do and then impose it on us, hiding their decisions behind meaningless statistics and so-called consultations.

Kristy Walton of City of York Council says the introduction of a twice-monthly garden refuse collection service is an additional service not a cut (Letters, August 29). Well Kristy, I should like to propose paying you every other month, one month your existing salary, the next month £10. Would you regard that as an additional salary or a pay cut?

It is time our elected officials of whatever political party stood up to the civil servants and listened to those people who elected them.

We all need to help to reduce waste but common sense needs to be applied.

John Kendall,

Beaverdyke,

Rawcliffe,

York.

Updated: 10:50 Wednesday, August 31, 2005