York's new council leader Claire Douglas: How do pledges stack up?

But how do the plans stack up - and how will they be paid for?

Cllr Douglas said that when it came to reversing the blue badge 'ban', her team would be listening closely to what disabled groups in the city had to say - but also learning from best practice elsewhere.

She said they had already arranged to meet Cheshire West and Chester council to look at how they had managed blue badge access in Chester.

Their solution may not be perfect, she said. "But they have found an accommodation."

She said Labour had been pushing for two years for York to look at how other cities had managed the issue - with Chester being one of them.

Security remained a consideration, she accepted. "We have to acknowledge that there have been vehicle attacks. The city needs to be kept safe, so we cannot ignore expert advice.

Blue badge campaigners in York

"But we will reverse the blue badge ban and find a way of allowing everybody to access the centre of York the way the rest of us take for granted."

On the cost of living crisis, she said Labour plans to tackle housing costs and introduce free school meals for the most deprived children which would help to ease the strain on struggling families.

Free school meals would be introduced first for the 10 most disadvantaged primary schools in the city, she said.

Labour had been speaking for months to big employers and organisations in York who will help to fund the programme. "No local authority can afford this on its own any more."

Free school meals for primary school children will start with York's 10 most deprived schools (Image: PA)

The response had been 'really positive', she said. "We're lucky that in York there is a history of philanthropic and social justice that we can call on."

Labour has also spoken to a local charity which can manage the programme, she said.

She insists that it will make a real difference.

Knowing that their children get a decent, free school meal will help struggling families. And it will also mean the children can learn better. "The data on that is clear."

On the cost of housing, she said Labour will ensure that in future ALL housing built on council-owned land would be affordable.

Under the previous administration, she claims, up to 80 per cent of homes built on council land were not affordable - with some selling at £400,000 or £500,000. That will end.

Labour will also adopt the local plan as soon as possible, and use that to encourage more new housing in York, she said.

But her party will also insist that affordable housing targets in large private developments are complied with - and will also require developers to sign more Section 106 agreements committing them to include infrastructure such as transport, health facilities and green spaces.

Sixty per cent of new homes at Dumcombe barracks, pictured here in a CGI image by Darc Studio, will be affordable. But in future, says Claire Douglas, ALL housing built on council-owned land will be affordable (Image: Planning documents/ Darc Studio)

"We need housing in York and I'm very happy to see developers coming to our city," she said. "But if they are not willing to do that, then I'm not interested."

Once the local plan has bedded down, she added, Labour would also institute a review of the city's housing strategy - including possibly looking to increase affordable housing targets.