LABOUR councillors staged a protest outside York's Barbican Centre to mark their dissatisfaction with consultations over its future.

The City of York Labour group members and the city's MP, Hugh Bayley, handed out leaflets criticising the ruling Liberal Democrat group's consultation as "rushed at and inadequate" and urging their favoured option.

"This is probably the shortest consultation ever known," said Councillor Alan Jones, shadow executive member for leisure and heritage.

"And it is a novel way of going about it, expecting the public to go to the council, and calling it a public consultation."

Mr Bayley said: "I think the most important thing is for lots of members of the public to have their say.

"If you have a consultation and you don't have a big response, you never know if the views really are the views as a whole or just a small minority who are working the system."

Steve Galloway, Liberal Democrat council leader, said: "We said we were not happy with the Labour proposals and we would undertake a limited consultation about the plans,"

"This, of course, interests primarily people using the pools, who have had the opportunity of expressing their view."

He said "But now, rather than allow users to make their own decisions, Labour have been issuing leaflets trying to force people to support the county pool option, which I think is very disappointing, and clearly might bias the results. This is a consultation, not a referendum, and the decision will be made by the executive."

The old Labour council had carried out a consultation about the future of the pool in March, when letters were delivered to all homes in York.

But now the Liberal Democrat council has begun its own consultation with information on the internet, in York Library and at the swimming pool.

The plans vary between a Labour-backed "county" standard pool with eight lanes, for competition and swimming development or the Liberal Democrat-backed "community" pool for children and family use leaving more funds for other pools in the city.

Residents can register their views until tomorrow.

Updated: 10:37 Thursday, July 24, 2003