Proposals to sell the Lord Mayor's historic number plate DN1 have been criticised as an attack on York's heritage.

The sell-off, one of a number being considered in an effort to make up a £4 million deficit in City of York Council's budget, is expected to raise £40,000 if accepted.

But opponents have claimed the amount is not enough to warrant selling York's history.

Marjorie Harrison, who lives in Malton but was brought up in York, said: "I am pretty disgusted about this proposal. I will be getting in touch with council leader Rod Hills to ask where are they going to stop? Are they going to sell off the Mansion House and the city's silver? It is a very penny pinching thing to do, selling off something like this."

The sale of the number, the first private one in the city, is one in a set of proposals on how the council could save money due to be discussed by the policy and resources committee on Wednesday.

They include freezing members expenses at current levels, saving £12,000.

Fees for hiring the Guildhall, for both commercial and non-profit making purposes, would rise.

Non-profit making groups can currently use the hall for nothing. A charge of half the usual rate of £165 a day has been proposed.

Ideas for money saving also include cutting council tax benefit staff by one.

But proposals have also been put forward for extra spending, including putting £50,000 towards replacing the Lord Mayor's 14-year-old civic car and spending £45,000 on employing a second press officer and an officer to explain the new form of cabinet government expected to replace committees in the near future.

Conservative leader John Galvin said: "I think there are major savings to be made in the communications department of the council, particularly the glossy magazines that it produces, and that is what should be looked at. The council is thrashing about looking for savings, but it seems reluctant to grasp the nettle."

Spending on publicity was last year recorded as £1.5 million, with The Citizen estimated to take nearly £100,000.

Liberal Democrat spokesman Mick Bradley said: "We are not saying there should be no magazine, but it should be published only two or three times a year rather than monthly which would make quite a large saving."

But council leader Coun Rod Hills hit back at the criticism from the Conservatives and Lib Dems and challenged them to "put up or shut up".

He said: "They are very good at criticising us and making political capital but not so good at putting forward positive proposals as to how the expenditure gap can be closed."

On the issue of savings in council communications, Coun Hills said: "We have done much research that proves that people in the city like to know what the council is doing. It is important that we tell people what we are doing on their behalf."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.