NEW homes in the greenbelt should be completely ruled out, UKIP candidates for City of York Council have said.

The party has launched its manifesto for York for the council election in May, and it includes a complete ban on any building in the greenbelt and a pledge to put no new homes on the York Central site.

Current plans for the former railway land include up to 1,100 new homes on the 35 acre site, but UKIP candidates want the land to be used for an "international standard convention and conference centre" rather than be "swallowed up" with more housing.

The party also wants to bring the library service back into direct council control, along with elderly care, keeping the current council care homes open.

The costly proposals would be funded by slashing "vanity projects" at the city council, UKIP Holgate candidate Judith Morris said, and by pulling the UK out of the EU and cutting foreign aid.

Ms Morris is one of ten candidates standing for the party in nine York council wards - Holgate, Guildhall, Dringhouses and Woodthorpe, Acomb, Clifton, Hull Road, Heworth, Heworth Without and Fishergate.

She said that although York has a widely publicised housing crisis, they believe there is enough brownfield land other than the York Central site to provide new homes.

Ms Morris said: "There are HMOs as well - we believe the university should provide more accommodation for students so the residents of York can use the housing students have been living in. The council is also losing out on council tax from student houses."

Traffic management also features heavily in the policies with plans to reopen many closed off residential streets around the edges of the city centre, like Fountayne Street between Wigginton Road and Haxby Road, so drivers can take short cuts away from the main arterial routes into the city.

Ms Morris said the current "anti car" policies were making congestion worse in the city.

Also 20mph limits should be removed, the manifesto pledges, and replaced with variable 15 mph limits around schools.