LIBERAL Democrat councillors in York claim the ruling Labour group has made a "U-turn" on the maximum number of parking spaces to be allowed in the city.

The council proposed at a conference last month that the number of spaces should be limited to 4,500 in the future, but officers have now revised the maximum number to 5,100, which is the number of spaces in York now.

Coun Ann Reid, the Liberal Democrats' transport spokeswoman, said they had asked that there should be no reduction in the number of spaces from the current number at a council meeting last month.

She said: "That motion, as proposed, was defeated, but it appears that this latest report from officers supports that view."

She said the Liberal Democrats were concerned about the potential loss of private car parks in areas of the city where they "currently fill a gap", particularly the imminent loss of Skeldergate car park.

"I have asked to see a copy of this report as there are a number of different sets of figures being used," she said.

"I need to understand if these figures include private provision or car parks under threat of closure such as Kent Street and Tanner Row.

"We feel that this latest U-turn vindicates our view that this city needs to maintain the current level of car parking provision until, at the very least, new technology and alternative forms of transport are available."

She said she would also be asking officers to look at car park publicity to ensure that visitors to the city knew which car parks would be available through into the evening.

"If people arrive in the city in the afternoon they need to know that they can leave their car in the same car park into the evening and that after 6pm it is free," she said.

A spokesman for City of York Council said: "The figure of 4,500 was a prediction for the number of spaces in the city in the local plan once all the areas we have allocated for redevelopment have been developed. The new figure of 5,100 is a statement of where we are now and the absolute maximum we will allow. If we lose city spaces we will allow replacement numbers up to that level - so long as they are not long-stay spaces."

Updated: 08:24 Tuesday, August 20, 2002