I WRITE as a former officer of City Of York Council in sadness at the passing of a great leader lost.

I was privileged to work for the city for a few years and to work closely with Rod Hills in the late Eighties. As a career local government officer, I subsequently met Rod on a number of occasions at events and conferences around the country.

Having been brought up in York, I am pleased to say that my home city had a strong, charismatic and dynamic leader who never put his personal interests ahead of what he believed was right for York. He was a robust and characterful person of the greatest integrity.

There may be those who fail to understand his achievements, who remember only the tittle-tattle and innuendo and false accusations. The answer to them is to look around and see what York is now compared with 30 years ago.

A considerable amount of that improvement is stamped with the word "Hills" and always will be.

Well done, Rod, and farewell.

David Kennedy,

Waterhouse Lane,

Gedling,

Nottingham.

...I READ with amazement the praise being lavished on Rod Hills by the same people who drove him from office.

I witnessed, as part of a group of York City supporters who sat in the public gallery that night, Rod Hills's return to the council chamber in January after some of the charges were dropped. The comments he was subjected to that night would get one thrown out of Bootham Crescent.

For many of us, it was our first visit to these proceedings and we left thinking what a totally unpleasant bunch of self-serving individuals we have running this great city. No wonder one of our previous chairmen was a former councillor as he must have felt among friends.

All it needs now is for the Crown Prosecution Service and York police to add a few well chosen words, and his beatification will be complete.

T Wills,

Vyner Street,

York.

...THE tragedy of Rod Hills should be reflected on with regret by the local media, bent on maximising allegations since proven illicit, so-called political allies/friends and, most significantly, the police, whose inept investigation resulted in his complete vindication on all but a trivial traffic offence.

I hope the people who readily condemned Rod, and attempted to crucify him politically, accept that perhaps they were wrong and that we owe him a great deal and that they have an awful lot to live up to.

John Wood,

Middlecroft Grove,

Strensall,

York.

Updated: 11:10 Wednesday, July 30, 2003