COUNCIL bosses in York say a “common-sense” approach will be taken to writing reports after new guidance was criticised.

As reported in The Press yesterday City of York Council officers are being asked to keep reports shorter and use larger type-settings in a bid to save money and bring “consistency” to the process.

The authority said councillors and members of the public did not have time to read lengthy reports, but Conservative opposition leader Ian Gillies said the protocol was a case of “the nanny state” and could lead to costs rising.

Sally Burns, the council’s director of communities and neighbourhoods, said: “The council is committed to ensuring its services and communications are as accessible as possible to all our readers.

“As a result, the council’s standard font size for communications to external partners and agencies has increased. “This includes letters and committee reports, which will be shorter and clearer, creating more concise, accessible communications while using less paper.

“However, we have advised staff to adopt a common sense approach to this guidance and use their judgement if there are cases when it is not practicable to use the largest font size.”