WARNING signs were there when the Labour administration in York decided to claw back remaining ward committee funding due to their inability to balance their own budget after overspending in their first year.

Now, as the new council budget is set, it might not have been unreasonable to expect some savings.

Aside from their unpopular decision to increase council tax, Labour will saddle the city with an extra £20 million of borrowing (debt!) and will use some of this to pay for projects of vanity and self-promotion.

This is not to protect the vulnerable or essential services. Had this been the case, they would not have found it necessary to make grant funding cuts to the community and voluntary sector or a worrying attack on local democracy by slashing ward committee funding.

Confusion reigns on how this will now be administered, but residents will no longer have the ability to select which local improvement schemes or community groups benefit from their taxes.

It’s a concern that remaining funds could be used in a few selected wards when most wards in the city have pockets of deprivation or areas in need of improvement.

Coun Paul Doughty, Conservative, Strensall ward.