A TRADER claims he has been "gagged" from speaking out at the meeting to decide where a York homeless centre should go.

Paul Abbott, sub-postmaster of Micklegate Post Office, said he applied on behalf of the Micklegate Traders Association to address members of City of York Council's executive at their meeting on May 2.

He wanted to raise shopkeepers' concerns about the implications for them if the Arc Light centre is relocated to the Nunnery Lane car park - one of four possible locations under consideration by the authority.

He said Micklegate would be the main route into the city centre for homeless people from Nunnery Lane, and traders had concerns, particularly at premises where single female staff worked alone.

He claimed his office had suffered problems in the past with people from the existing centre, such as abuse when they had not been allowed to jump the queue to get change for a £1 coin.

But he said he had been told by a council officer that he would not be allowed to speak, as council leader Steve Galloway had blocked his application.

"I've been gagged," he claimed. "Traders have a particular point they would like to make to councillors.

"It is not the same as the ones being made by residents.

"We believe we would have specific problems as the homeless make their way into town and back again, but we are not being allowed to tell councillors of our concerns."

However, Coun Galloway today denied he had personally blocked Mr Abbott's application.

He said: "As chairman, I decide how many members of the public can speak, but I do not decide who speaks."

He said he was allowing speakers for and against the proposals from each of the four affected areas, and was also allowing all the councillors from each of the affected wards to speak, and there might be 13 or 14 speakers in total.

He said that if Mr Abbott had submitted his views in writing, they would be taken into account by councillors.

Mr Abbott was also entitled to ask for his views to be represented by the person from the Nunnery Lane area who was appointed to speak, or a ward councillor.

Updated: 09:36 Friday, April 21, 2006