THE furore about the city's parking charges is going to rumble on. "What I cannot understand is why the 'tourist and visitor' tag has been brought into the equation.

Being a roadsweeper, I get first hand knowledge of the amount of footfall in the city centre.

I can assure people that York is not getting the number of visitors and tourists it once did.

I could predict to the week when York was going to be heaving and the last three or four years has seen a serious drop in the visitors.

I often work until early evening. The city is a ghost town most of the time.

It's unfair to blame the new ruling party and the parking charges because this decline has been steady for years.

I say to the people with any clout in this city, start worrying. York and its attractions are starting to lose their appeal.

Get your thinking caps on and kick-start your strategy for attracting visitors because whatever you are doing now is not working.

PR Willey,

Burnholme Drive,

Heworth,

York.

Updated: 10:05 Tuesday, June 29, 2004