YOUR article "Does size matter for York tourists?" (March 1) suggests there is a proposal from the English Tourism Council (ETC) to alter these nationally-agreed standards on bed size in hotels and guest houses.

Our advisory group did meet recently to discuss quality standards for this sector.

Suggestions for changes were put forward by the group, which consists of accommodation operators and representatives of trade and local associations.

These were preliminary discussions and the results of these and other similar discussions will be fed into the review process and will ultimately be subject to consultation with the industry. Our prime interest is in improving quality to increase the competitiveness of accommodation available for holidaymakers in Scarborough and other resorts, and we do not wish to see that threatened.

John Cheetham,

Senior Press and PR Officer,

English Tourism Council,

Thames Tower,

Black's Road,

London.

Updated: 10:20 Monday, March 17, 2003