"COUNCILLOR" Mike Laycock's restaurant review (July 31) shows clearly that his parking campaign is just a soupcon of gourmet scaremongering.

Leaving aside the selfish people who were not only parking illegally in Duncombe Place but depriving disabled drivers of convenient spaces, Mike admits that the Bootham Row car park was almost full. How very different this is from the dire situation he has been portraying.

Mike also mentions that he paid only £1.60 to park. That is nowhere near the £3.90 he persistently quotes and, after spending £58 on a meal, I guess it would probably also be far less than the tip he left.

I suppose it would be less than diplomatic to ask who would have picked up the bill? Every job has to have a good side.

Coun Ian Cuthbertson,

Strensall Ward,

City of York Council,

Plainville Lane,

Wigginton,

York.

Updated: 11:20 Wednesday, August 04, 2004