TOP transport experts from around the UK could be brought in to help tackle congestion in York.

A leaked council report seen by The Press proposes spending £161,000 setting up the city's "congestion commission" and says it should consist of four councillors and five external experts.

The report says York needs a more collaborative approach to dealing with traffic problems, and needs ideas that are achievable even if unpopular, but opposition councillors fear too much is being spent on discussion.

The report proposes paying expert commissioners £400 a day each for three days a month for a year plus additional hearings, giving a total cost for experts of £86,000. The commission would be told to consider ways to alleviate road congestion and to make strategic recommendations to the council.

Sarah Tanburn, the council's interim director of city and environmental services, presented her suggestions for the congestion commission at a recent meeting of all party leaders on the council.

She said the five non-partisan commission members should be mostly from academia and institutes. Potential candidates include some who have worked in prominent transport positions nationally, including in London.

Mike Childs, who lives in York and is head of science, policy and research for Friends of the Earth, welcomed the commission idea and said other cities such as Copenhagen and Freiburg had benefited from long-term commitments not to use congestion as "a political punch-bag".

He said York needed new infrastructure and a cultural change and said external experts would bring new ideas and insight.

"It would be foolish of York to try to close its eyes to that kind of thing and reinvent the wheel ourselves," he said. "There is so much we could copy or adapt or mimic and it seems sensible to put that expertise in front of York people."

Ms Tanburn said there would need to be a skilled chair and proposed open hearings, like those held by Parliamentary Select Committees, to gather a wide range of evidence and views. Her draft timetable runs from this October to next October.

All parties say they support cross-party working in principle, but some councillors are uneasy about costs and the commission running across next May's local election campaign, potentially compromising their ability to make and keep manifesto pledges.

Council leader James Alexander said York must make tough decisions to alleviate congestion, but said party politics could hinder that.

He said: "An independently-chaired, cross-party congestion commission is key to us tackling the issue in the long-term together and I am in discussions with other group leaders as to how best this can be formed. The commission will of course keep a firm focus on ensuring value for money in any action plan agreed, but we have to recognise that quality engagement with the public does cost money – and this engagement has been lacking in attempts to deal with congestion over a long period of time.”

Liberal Democrat leader Keith Aspden said his group supported the principle of the commission and hoped it would help ensure "mistakes such as the botched closure of Lendal Bridge are not repeated".

But he said: "We were surprised by the proposals to spend such a high amount of money on visiting consultants and we are not convinced that this represents value for money for taxpayers."

He said any commission's first priority should be to listen to local residents and business owners.

Conservative leader Chris Steward said his group supported a long-term, cross-party effort to tackle congestion but said he had concerns over the cost, the timetable straddling the election and discussions potentially being distorted for political gain.

He added: "We question how many new ideas can be thought of by this new expensive commission. We are open-minded though and will watch as more detail comes out."

Green leader Andy D'Agorne said: "If we are to tackle congestion we need to learn from leading edge academic and professional spheres, including other councils."

On top of the £86,000 on experts, the report proposes £50,000 on specialist expertise including on financing; £15,000 for a citizens' jury and £10,000 for online publications including designs.

If all party leaders back the approach, the commission could be established at November's cabinet meeting.