YORK City have said they are to consider reducing the age of concessions for pensioners from 65 to 60.

However, the club could not say when any changes would be made as they awaited financial ramifications following the ITV Digital fiasco.

City spokesman James Richardson said the plan, if they went ahead with it, would be to reduce the age of concessions first to 62 as a half-way house, then to 60.

"It's something we would look at in the future," he said. "We can't do so now because it would cut revenue as we have a lot of supporters in the older age bracket - and we are already likely to lose a lot of revenue through what's happened with ITV Digital."

The proposal came after consultation between chairman John Batchelor and John Taylor, the York and District Organiser for PARITY, a body which campaigns for equal rights for men and women.

Taylor told the Evening Press the club's concession age was set at 65 after PARITY had complained to the former City board that it was unfair to have different benefits for men and women - previously, age concessions for women had been at 60, while for men they had been at 65.

PARITY had then wanted the age to be set uniformly at 60, but the board decided on 65. However, Taylor was happy with the club's new response.

"We can understand the situation regarding ITV Digital so we're happy with the reply," he said. "It's better than the commercially inept decision of the previous board."

Updated: 11:53 Friday, May 03, 2002