A COUPLE of letters published in the Press recently may have confused some readers.

Firstly, Mr Horner claimed "Yorkies were being betrayed" because council money was being spent on cleaning up the city before the Ascot meeting (April 8).

In fact, the costs of the meeting are being met by the racecourse with additional investment, off the course, coming from the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward.

The clean-up campaign is part of the York Pride programme of works which began more than 18 months ago and which will continue long after Ascot has returned to its traditional home.

It is an initiative backed by the most "Yorkies", including local businesses and a growing number of neighbourhood groups through York Community Pride.

Secondly, Mr Barnes (Letters, April 9) may not be the only pensioner to feel misled by Gordon Brown's statement about free bus passes.

If it does happen it won't start until 2006.

In the meantime York's council continues to offer residents the benefit of a quarter-fare bus pass, £40 in travel tokens or a discounted car parking badge. We hope central Government won't seek to prevent us from continuing to offer pensioners and those with a disability a similar choice in the future.

Distribution of the passes and tokens is now underway each day at the Guildhall.

Coun Keith Hyman,

The Old Village,

Huntington, York.

Updated: 10:41 Thursday, April 14, 2005