WE have said before that it would be great to see more shops, cafés and attractions opening later into the evening in York.

Many European cities have a buzz in the evening entirely lacking here in those awkward hours between the shops closing and the pubs and bars getting busy.

We welcome the work being done by a council-led taskforce which is looking at ways of making the city a livelier place in the evenings, therefore.

But we also fully understand the businesses which, in today’s newspaper, warn that the initiative will only work if it is properly supported by the council.

Late-night buses, cheap or free evening parking and promotion of late-night shopping and events would all be needed if it was to prove workable, said Ian Taylor, owner of the Daisy Taylor gift shop.

If the idea is to really take off, it will also need a significant number of retailers and other businesses to get involved. A few individual shops opening in the evening wouldn’t work, said Jason Walker, manager of Van Mildert in Blake Street.

These are all valid points. Yet the fact remains that if retailers, café owners, museum bosses and the city council could all come together to ensure the city centre stays open later, York in the evenings could be transformed.

We very much hope that everyone can work together to make that happen.