THE cost of parking in York is set to be frozen for another year - after council chiefs revealed that drivers had already been returning to the city's car parks, providing a major boost to their coffers.

The city centre is buzzing as retailers look forward to a bumper Christmas, with one survey predicting jingling tills over the festive season.

Council leader Steve Galloway revealed that a surge in motorists visiting the city had seen car park use this year soar by £350,000, reversing an earlier slump in revenue.

He welcomed the extra revenue as "great news for the city," and said the extra cash was earmarked for maintenance, new signs and CCTV cameras.

He said there were no plans to increase parking charges next year.

Coun Galloway said: "The worst thing you can have is an empty city centre, closing down at 5pm and the streets deserted.

"There was a parking slump, but it has now recovered - indeed, it has gone beyond recovery."

This year's success has beaten all expectations, overcoming a downturn last year, when as many as 37,000 motorists deserted the city.

The number of cars parked in the city now exceeds two million and, when combined with Park & Ride figures, there are more visitors coming into the city than ever before.

Coun Galloway said the principal reasons for the car park success were:

* freezing parking charges for two consecutive years.

* slashing the price of parking at Foss Bank by half.

* increasing the length of short-term parking from three to five hours.

* issuing discounts for low-emission cars.

* introducing mobile phone payments and more ticket meters. Evening parking charges were also cut, after The Press's Stop The Highway Robbery campaign.

Coun Galloway added: "York's reputation is another factor. The city centre now has a lot of new retailers, and it's a much more diverse and attractive place to shop than perhaps it once was."

The increase in visitor numbers means a bumper Christmas is on the cards for the city.

Gillian Cruddas, chief executive of York Tourism Bureau, said: "Bookings through the visitor information centres are pretty strong, particularly for weekend breaks.

"We have had a good September and October and have seen an increase in business over the last two months. The phones are ringing, we are getting a steady stream of emails from overseas visitors - and we are very pleased so far."

Diana Golding, president of York and North Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "York has something for everyone.

"It offers a truly unique experience for shoppers and visitors alike, and I am delighted to hear that more people are visiting this year.

"We must not be complacent, however. In order to compete with places like Leeds we must continue to make sure that we can offer spaces to the diverse retailers that our local shoppers tell us they want to see in the city."

But the best may still be to come. According to a survey released today by business advisers Deloitte, consumers in Yorkshire are the least likely in the country to get their Christmas shopping started early - in fact, a third will wait until Christmas Eve.

The predicted overall spend for the Christmas period across Yorkshire per person is £535.

Income from car parks has already netted City of York Council an extra £350,000 this year, up from last year's total of £7 million.

Coun Galloway promised not to spend it in one big festive blow-out.

He said: "We won't go out and spend it all in the Christmas shopping bonanza."