COUNCILLOR Charles Hall seeks to deflect attention from his Liberal Democrat administration's inflation-busting hike in council tax by decrying the one-off nature of last year's £200 rebate for pensioners given by the Labour Government (Letters, February 25).

At least pensioners got the rebate - unlike the £100 cashback for all council tax payers promised by Coun Hall's party before the 2003 York council elections.

And while the Lib Dems in York are also proposing to increase charges for home care by almost 20 per cent and day care by more than 76 per cent, pensioners have benefited from many Labour Government initiatives, including the winter fuel payments, the restoration of free eye tests, pension credit and the cut in fuel tax.

Pensioner households are on average £29 per week better off in real terms compared with 1997.

Perhaps most older people in York will feel they can ill afford the type of Lib Dem "respect" on offer from the likes of Coun Hall and his cronies at the Guildhall.

Coun Sandy Fraser,

Labour spokesman on adult social services & health,

Millfield Road,

York.

Updated: 10:44 Friday, March 03, 2006