SPEAKING at this week’s Executive meeting, Coun James Alexander insisted he had been told the local primary care trust had not been instructed to transfer £2 million of Government funding to City of York Council to support adult social care in the city.

Coun Alexander claimed it was wrong of us to count that money in the budget, and should not be planning how we would use that funding to benefit elderly people in the city, as he did not believe that the money would be transferred.

I would like to direct him to the Department of Health website, where the letter instructing PCTs to transfer the money is available for all to see. I would also be happy to provide letters from two Government ministers confirming that the funding will be available.

I realise Coun Alexander is desperately scrabbling around to find bad news to score political points, but in future he should check that his claims cannot be so easily disproved.

I hope he will now withdraw his claim and admit that this is welcome news for the city.

Councillor Jonathan Morley, Liberal Democrat executive member for health & adult social services.