THE council has a duty to safeguard the historic environment of the city and has communicated with David Waggott on this subject on many occasions in the past (Letters, February 13).

We do not accept the allegation that planning officers are dreadful to deal with, although we appreciate that Mr Waggott does not always agree with us.

The figures that Mr Waggott quoted are based on the cost of running a large part of a council directorate, not just development control or planning services. The number of staff that Mr Waggott based his calculations on was also incorrect.

As Mr Waggott suggests, there are many other factors to take into consideration. During the last financial year, City of York Council's expenditure on planning costs per head of population has been among the lowest of any unitary authority in the country.

York is meeting national targets aimed at increasing the speed of determining planning applications and was ranked among the most improved authorities for planning performance last year.

The Audit Commission's report, to which Mr Waggott referred, recognised the severe constraints that the national planning skills shortage has placed upon local authorities. There are a finite number of planners in both the private and public sectors.

It is also worth pointing out that private-sector consultants would be less likely to engage in customer contact, given that their main remit would be to deal with applications as quickly as possible.

Work is continuing to ensure that York meets national targets for the speed of determining applications and provides an even better-

quality service for the public and applicants.

Michael Slater,

Assistant director (planning and sustainable development),

City of York Council,

St Leonard's Place,

York.

Updated: 10:49 Saturday, February 18, 2006