IMAGINE this. A commuter, about to board a Park and Ride bus into York, finds he has no money. So he appeals to his fellow passengers, who dig into their own pockets and pay for his ticket. They are happy to help out.

But the following day he and some friends turn up, and explain that the others must pay for their journey to and from work every day.

Those paying twice would quickly rebel against such blatant unfairness. Yet City of York Council actually expects passengers to hand over the cash with happy heart, on the basis that it may help to reduce traffic congestion.

There is a key difference between our imagined scenario and what is actually happening. In our fiction, the commuters knew what was going on. In reality, most York residents had no idea that their council tax was being used to subsidise the journeys of council employees. Until now.

The council's desire to use Park and Ride to reduce pollution is admirable; but these travel concessions are unacceptable.

We have no argument with the council workers who enjoy this privilege. Their free ride is being paid for by the rest of us, however. It is another occasion when the council seems to have forgotten that it is not spending its own money, but ours.

We calculate that this policy could cost upwards of £150,000 a year. That is not far off the sum the council wanted to save by closing a mental health day centre.

That proposal has been abandoned, but other cutbacks that will hit key services are still going ahead - at a time when council tax is going up by eight per cent.

Council leader Rod Hills has poured scorn on opposition claims that the authority could save a small fortune with efficiency savings.

Now we know that the council could - and should - save £650 a day by scrapping subsidised travel. And we are left to wonder what other perks we are paying for.

Updated: 11:11 Wednesday, February 20, 2002