This is the latest exchange from the Civic Trust & Oakgate – the potential developers of the Community Stadium at Monks Cross.

Clearly those leading members of the Trust, who have set their sights firmly on stopping the stadium development, have recognised the need to be accountable for their actions.

They also admit that they have no idea how to fulfil York’s need for modern stadium facilities.
Incredibly they now argue for John Lewis to be accommodate3d on a Piccadilly development. The Trust opposed the Piccadilly/Coppergate II development in the early part of the last decade.

Marks and Spencer home ware are set to leave the City centre (whatever happens at Monks Cross) at the (imminent) end of their current lease in Coppergate,

John Lewis is understood not to want to be isolated on the far side of the Foss, It would not be surprising – if the Monks Cross project is turned down – to see them refocus their plans into Leeds.

With Christmas fast approaching and many of us not wanting to venture out to the shops, some are wary of online shopping. But don’t be. Millions of people buy online every day without any problems. With a bit of commonsense and knowledge, you can avoid problems with all online purchases.

What Could Go Wrong
■Undelivered goods
■Wrong Products
■Problems with the order
■Misuse of your credit or debit card

Which Sellers to Use
■Pick good sellers, especially when buying from private individuals.
■All websites must have an address on them, make sure they have good contact details to follow up.
■A well designed website, does not mean it will be a good or reputable company.
■Be extra cautious when dealing with a company based overseas and even more so outside the EU.
■Check sellers’ privacy policy and returns policy.
■Use an appropriate, safe means of online payment to get some protection against non-delivery (Google Checkout, Paypal)
■Search for the companies name in google and see what feedback they get from other people who have used them. Consider sharing your feedback so others can see if you have a good or bad experience.

Security
■Use a secure website, this will have a ‘https’ at the beginning of an address bar or a padlock located somewhere on the browser (bottom status bar or in the address bar)
■Click on the padlock to check that the seller is who they say they are and that their certificate is current and registered to the right address.
■Don’t be fooled by a padlock that appears on the web page itself. It’s easy for conmen to copy the image of a padlock. You need to look for one that is in the window frame of the browser itself.

Online ‘Bogus Callers’
■Companies that offer a work from home deal are either illegal pyramid schemes or scams that will not pay
■Always look for feedback on a company from places such as web forums
■If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is. Cross-check information on the internet and see if anyone else has had problems.
■Be wary of links sent to you in emails unless they are expected and sent from friends or family