METHINKS Councillor Galloway doth protest too much! (Letters, March 5).

I attended the council meeting when the budget debate took place and saw the proposals put forward by the Liberal Democrats.

The truth is that the Liberal Democrat proposals were just political spin. The detailed Labour budget, on the other hand, protected crucial frontline services while planning to develop new ones and ideas for the future.

It was clear a lot of thought and hard work had been done by Labour, whereas the one-page, 'fag-packet' Lib-Dem wish list looked shallow, ill-conceived and totally unattainable.

Coun Galloway seems to have forgotten that York is a Beacon Council - officially one of the best in the country.

As long as we have a Labour council it will remain one of the best. I would not be nearly so confident if Liberal Democrats were in charge.

Doris Bell,

Nidd Grove,

Dringhouses,

York.

Updated: 10:29 Thursday, March 14, 2002