YORK’S civic leaders have been accused of wasting tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money on half-a-million “pointless” consultation documents.

New figures have revealed City of York Council spent £90,000 on a series of 11 questionnaires in 2009/10.

The authority sent out 470,000 consultation documents, but got replies from fewer than one in ten, sparking criticism of its decision to leaflet every home in the city on often complex issues.

In one consultation, about the city’s long-term “Local Development Framework” plan, only 2,200 out of 90,000 leaflets were returned – meaning 87,800 ended up binned or unused.

The council said 2009/10 was an exceptional year and the 2010/11 figure was likely to be less than half last year’s, but political opponents reacted angrily.

Mark Wallace, campaigns director for the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It seems the city council is more enthusiastic than most in sending out flurries of paper.”

“If the council wants to listen to local residents, they could start by listening to all those that want them to stop wasting money like this.”

Government guidelines say voters must be consulted on several key issues, but it is up to councils whether to ballot every household or only a sample.

Coun Ian Gillies, leader of the council’s Conservative group, said: “It is one thing to consult, but another to consult properly.”

He said the budget consultation was especially flawed, as voters were asked to have their say on important issues without all the relevant costs and information.

His Labour counterpart, Coun James Alexander, said: “The Lib Dem council is trying to find £7 million of savings, affecting levels of service, and yet they are spending more than £90,000 on consultations they do not listen to.

“We need meaningful consultation, not a box-ticking exercise to say we have done it.”

The council also has a “talkabout” panel of 2,000 citizens, broadly reflecting the city’s population. A council spokeswoman said it was regarded as “good practice” by the Audit Commission, as was the council’s policy of consulting every resident.

She said: “Consulting widely on key issues provides a cost-effective and comprehensive way of enabling residents to influence decisions made by the council.”

She said the council was committed to reviewing all areas of expenditure.

Council leader Andrew Waller, pictured right, said: “People in York are used to being consulted on large projects and where there will be a major change to the city.

“The Lib-Dem administration sees this ability for residents to express their views on key decisions as being democratic.”

He said returns on the budget consultation had increased in recent years.