NIGEL AYRE has deliberately set out to misrepresent both what I said at full council last week and Labour’s position on housing targets (Letters, April 13). No surprise there, coming from a Liberal Democrat.

I did not say that residents’ views should be ignored. It is rich to hear this accusation when it is council officers’ professional advice that Liberal Democrats and Tories have chosen to dismiss.

Coun Ayre fails to mention his party’s unilateral cutting of future housing targets by one third. Should it even get past the Government Planning Inspectorate, which seems unlikely, York’s housing supply will be limited to such an extent that house prices will rise, as will already high private sector rents.

So housing will become even more unaffordable both to buy and to rent for York people on average or low incomes. The council housing waiting list is at 3,700 and rising, and under the Lib Dems’ and Tories’ housing policy it’s likely to rise considerably.

Green Belt development is undesirable, but could well happen in the medium term if the city doesn’t demonstrate a sufficient land supply for housing, as the Lib Dems, Tories and latterly the Greens have proposed.

Dave Merrett, Labour group spokesperson on City Strategy.