PROPOSALS to charge motorists £6 for three hours parking in York city centre were defended today by a leading councillor.

City of York Council is considering raising short-stay daytime parking charges to £2 an hour at three central car parks - Piccadilly, Castle and Bootham Row. The current hourly charge ranges from £1.50 to £1.60.

The price hike is planned to raise extra revenue for the cash-strapped authority if next year's council tax rise is pegged to five per cent. If council tax increased by ten per cent, the parking charges would rise by a lesser amount to £1.70.

The proposal comes after a summer of controversy over parking, in particular evening fees - which are now to remain frozen at £2, or £1 for residents.

Councillor Ann Reid, executive member for planning and transport, said she would have preferred not to raise any parking charges, but pointed out that standard daytime charges for car parks such as Esplanade and St Georges field would remain frozen under all circumstances, providing a good alternative for motorists.

She stressed that residents with a Minster badge would continue to enjoy a 30p-an- hour discount on short-stay charges.

Another option for shoppers was to use Park & Ride, the charge for which remains at £1.80 for a return ticket.

Bill Woolley, acting director of environment and development services, said usage of Park & Ride in November was a staggering 30 per cent up on the same month last year, even before the new service from Monks Cross was taken into account.

Coun Reid said the charge for Respark permits - controversially doubled to £84 earlier this year - would be frozen.

She said Respark was running at a very small profit and a cut in the charge would not be practicable.

She said more money would still be spent on highway maintenance than two years ago, and revealed that extra investment on road and footpath repairs and maintenance this year had resulted in a reduction in the number of insurance claims against the council.

She said 81 additional repair schemes had been carried out this year, including resurfacing of back lanes such as those at the rear of Newborough Street and Baker Street.

"The work we have carried out repairing back lanes can make a tremendous difference to the lives of residents," she said.

Updated: 14:55 Tuesday, December 21, 2004