MORE rumblings of discontent over staffing for Royal Ascot reach the Diary.

Following our report that day staff will have to fork out to park their bicycles at Knavesmire for the duration of the festival, a member of the racecourse's casual workforce comes forward with more grisly details.

According to my insider, many day staff working for Royal Ascot at York will be paid almost half the rate earned by those who staff the same meeting on its home course.

They have been told that they will receive a bonus if they work all five days, but the amount has not been disclosed.

The 250 York day staff are often pensioners who enjoy racing. They do various crucial jobs on race days such as supervise the car parks, distribute betting sheets and check badges.

"They are pensioners and they get walked on," said my source at the finishing post. "One of them is 78 years old and loves his racing. But they're exploited."

What would that other race-loving pensioner, the Queen, make of it?

STILL with the horse-and-hat spectacular, Joy Crawshaw of Hempland Avenue, York, asks: "Re the forthcoming Ascot event, could someone on the council confirm or deny that the new signs to welcome folk to York cost £20,000?"

A City of York Council spokeswoman is happy to help. "Your correspondent is correct in that the signs (over 100 of them) cost £20,000, including design, manufacture, installation and servicing," she tells the Diary.

"This investment will leave a lasting legacy, as equipment which has been bought for Royal Ascot at York will be used for future events.

"It's worth pointing out that the funding for the signs is part of the £650,000 investment made by Yorkshire Forward to ensure that the long-term economic benefits of the Royal Ascot at York are maximised. This includes making people feel welcomed to our city to encourage them to return in the future."

This invites a further question. How come unaccountable quango Yorkshire Forward has so much cash to splash?

As well as the two-thirds of a million going on Ascot, the "regional development agency" has spent £2.9 million on a Yorkshire digital TV channel, and £800,000 on small business grants - and that's in the past couple of months alone.

All this moolah and it still doesn't get its facts straight. One recent Yorkshire Forward press release previewed an event taking place at the 'Royal Court Hotel, York'.

IF you need to have blood taken for tests where do you go? To the Blood Taking Department at York Hospital of course. And they like a laugh there, as a friend who visited recently discovered.

"The tourniquet that was used on me to get a vein wasn't your common or garden white elastic job as you might expect," she said.

"It was sky blue with pictures of bats and vampires... complete with dripping fangs. I mentioned it to the Blood Taker - who was just as enthusiastic as her (hopefully) fictional counterpart - and she said someone 'obviously had a sick sense of humour'."

ONE for your winter diary. The good folk at the North York Moors National Park have already been in touch to inform us of an event there in December: Christmas Votives and Plagues. Choose "a Christmas plague designed by a local potter" as they are "ideal decorations to adorn any home", it suggests.

That should read "plaque". Shouldn't it?

Chris Titley

Updated: 09:25 Monday, May 23, 2005