I READ with interest the letter of January 3 from former Lib Dem councillor Sue Galloway, raising concern about the city having no hotel strategy.

She refers to a concern I previously raised about this. I wish she had raised such concern about a lack of hotel strategy during the previous eight years of Liberal Democrat council control. The city has needed this strategy for some time.

I am pleased to say the strategy should be complete by March. We have been working with hoteliers on this assessment.

The reason this strategy has taken time to come forward is because we had to take into account the new tourism strategy. We cannot have an assessment on quality and quantity of hotel bed spaces without an understanding of the tourism sector and its appetite for growth.

Coun James Alexander, Labour leader of City of York Council.