Efforts to support a local campaign to encourage local shops to shut their doors have stalled after the council failed to come up with its promised support.

Local volunteers had put themselves forward to coordinate such a campaign, having met with national coordinators of a campaign to promote shops keeping their doors closed, in order to save energy, money and to reduce carbon emissions.

But the failing has exposed the empty promises of the council leader, according to Labour's environment spokesperson, Coun. Potter. She said:

"Back at the end of 2008 Coun. Waller said the council would be throwing its weight behind the Close the Door campaign, claiming it would help the city to meet its carbon reduction targets. Since which time nothing further has been achieved, with volunteers not receiving the support they called for to help the council meet these targets.
"I met with the national campaign representatives when they visited York and believed that what they were doing was well worth promoting in York. A dreadful amount of energy and heat loss occurs through shop doors being left open, when in fact there is no evidence I've seen to indicate it affects custom.

"Retailers could be saving large sums on energy bills, while the council could be doing its bit to meet its various environmental targets. I just wish if Coun. Waller said he was going to do something, he backed it up with action. He promised to undertake a survey of all shops and to pay for the publicity material. Instead of seeing this through, it turns out that he made empty promises that mean nothing once the people he met left the city".