AS chairman of Fossgate Traders Association I should point out that Nigel Ayre's assumption that local shopkeepers are not aware that business rates are paid to central Government is incorrect (June 28).

Our campaign of disrupting payments to the council also includes council tax payments paid by ordinary residents, thousands of whom support our view that car parking and Park & Ride charges in York are too high - especially after this year's record increase in council tax.

Our action is designed to demonstrate the strength of feeling to the council who have to collect the payments before passing them on to central Government.

We cannot let the council tax its citizens by stealth as the notes from the March 2 council meeting appear to show, and believe we have found a peaceful and legal way that will force the council to reconsider parking and transport arrangements in York.

If York residents were to take ten minutes to cancel their direct debits for their council tax bills and pay by cheque instead, omitting the payment reference number from the back of the cheque, the council will be forced to take notice of what the citizens, not just the traders, of this city want from their council. This is why they were elected.

David Cox,

Chair, Fossgate Traders Association, Fossgate, York.

...I CAN'T believe the audacity of Nigel Ayre when he writes in to say the parking charges are not the city council's fault.

Nigel, a Lib Dem who stood against me in Heworth last year, knows full well that it's the Lib Dems who decided to put up the charges - and no one else.

He can try blaming national Government but it won't wash.

The facts are: at the last budget council the Labour Group put forward a series of cost-saving amendments to the Lib Dem budget which reduced their proposals for extra unnecessary layers of management.

They voted us down, decided to spend much more, and then had to find the money to pay for it.

His point that business rates do go to central Government is correct, but that is what makes his letter nonsensical.

Of course the Lib Dems are going to put up parking charges to find the money.

If it means putting businesses at risk as they did on East Parade, it would mean no loss in revenue for the Lib Dems.

Who cares if there is a fall in customers put off by the parking charges and they go bust?

They get to keep the money in the parking meters and if the shops are empty, so be it, it is no loss in revenue to them.

Coun Paul Blanchard

Labour councillor,

Heworth Ward,

Heworth Mews, York.

Updated: 11:14 Wednesday, June 30, 2004