Dee Boyle will be pleased to learn there will be boundary changes in York before the next General Election (Letters, May 10).

The unitary authority of the City of York will be divided into two seats. Residents in Clifton will therefore be able to vote for a York MP.

The bad news is York is being divided into an inner and outer seat in a doughnut fashion, named York Central and York Outer.

The City of York seat will remain largely the same and an outer seat will be created which includes the whole of the areas which are now in the Vale of York, Selby and Ryedale constituencies but which are within the City of York council area.

The outer seat will also include Dringhouses and Woodthorpe.

The creation of two seats is good for York but the doughnut arrangement is absurd.

I spent three days arguing against it before an independent inspector who carried out the boundary review.

York Conservatives suggested the two York seats should be divided along the river. York Labour and Liberal Democrats disagreed and wanted an inner and outer seat.

The inspector thought a seat divided along the river would cause unnecessary disruption to voters. York will effectively have a city centre seat and a ring-road seat which is far from ideal.

Simon Mallett,

St George's Place, York.

Updated: 10:24 Thursday, May 12, 2005