COUN Keith Orrell is attempting to defend the indefensible (Evening Press, March 23).

The council was not given authority by the city residents to expand the original Barbican housing/hotel scheme at the expense of leisure facilities. The council used a simple "straw poll" taken in isolation regarding the size of the proposed swimming pool to justify the latest massive expansion.

The duplicitous way in which the "poll" was conducted and the unpleasant associated smell would not justify providing a public toilet, let alone a multi-million pound development.

WIth regard to the councillor's claim that the finance is needed to refurbish Yearsley and Edmund Wilson pools, has he forgotten the original estimates for essential maintenance to the pools was well below the £2million which it was claimed the original sale to developers would produce? It would be more ethical to quote tangible figures instead of telephone numbers and allow intelligent leisure facilities users to contribute?

When will City Of York Council realise that towns and cities of a similar size are, in many cases, planning their next stage of sporting facilities when we haven't entered the first? I suggest Coun Galloway takes his colleagues to sample the excellent Dolphin Centre in his home town of Darlington and, on his return, tell the citizens of York why similar facilities are not available to the people he represents.

Joe Jones,

Rawcliffe Lane, York.

Updated: 10:59 Tuesday, March 30, 2004