YORK'S new Labour group leader has announced plans to cut the number of seats on City of York Council’s Cabinet to save money.

Cllr Dafydd Williams said the £28,000 saved in allowances would boost spending on the winter maintenance programme for the city's roads during the most challenging time of the year.

He said the reduction in the number of cabinet members holding portfolios from eight to six would present a 'big challenge' for remaining Cabinet members as their portfolios increased, 'but with ever decreasing budgets we must cut our cloth accordingly.'

He said: "I am giving a great deal of consideration to what the six new portfolios should look like and will announce these shortly after the December full council if I am elected as council leader."

The move comes a week after Cllr Williams said he wanted to invite the Tory and Lib Dem group leaders, Chris Steward and Keith Aspden, to take seats on the Cabinet without portfolios.

However, as both already received an allowance as party leaders and would not have portfolios, he hoped they would accept the positions at no additional cost to the taxpayer.

Cllr Steward welcomed the proposal to reduce the number of portfolio holders and make financial savings, which he said the Conservatives had called for previously.

He asked why Cllr Williams had not proposed such a change before, and suggested it was because he had not been allowed to by former council leader James Alexander. He added that he was likely to accept the offer of a place on cabinet.

Cllr Aspden said the Liberal Democrat Group had consistently said the size and cost of the Cabinet should be reduced after Labour had increased its size in 2011.

" I am pleased to see that Cllr Williams has belatedly recognised this and has also recognised that Labour’s cuts to the winter maintenance budget were deeply damaging."

However he claimed £28,000 would not be enough to return all the gritting routes and salt bins cut last year. "If we have a severe winter, it will be sticking-plaster solution," he said, adding that he hoped to give his response to the offer of a seat on cabinet later this week.