I WOULD like to bring up the remarks made by Coun Steve Galloway regarding council tax increases (November 3).

Surely Coun Galloway knows that under this tin pot left-wing Government (hiding under New Labour), council tax increases were kept down because of a £1 billion bail-out by the Government (a sweetener due to the election coming).

Mr Goody-Two-Shoes, Gordon Brown, is unlikely to do this trick again because of the gaping hole in the public finances of £2.2 billion. It is obvious this shortfall will have to be paid by the taxpayer - through the back door, by council tax increases of ten per cent.

Coun Galloway did agree there would be unspecified increases in council tax for 2005/06, but did state that, after a favourable grant from Government, there would be an issue of several millions to be addressed. I presume then he is expecting a good grant from Government - I think not.

Come on Coun Galloway - don't let the Government hoodwink you. Brown has to plug the black hole of £2.2 billion and it's going to be done through the council tax.

Tom Mitchell,

Mendip Close,

Huntington, York.

Updated: 10:21 Wednesday, November 23, 2005