YORK council today moved to clarify confusion about changes to controversial parking charges.

We reported yesterday that from Monday residents would be able to park all night for just £1 - if they displayed a Minster badge in their windscreen.

But the council today said the new discounts would not come into force until three weeks later on November 22 - so computer software can be updated.

This is despite the fact that it placed a public notice in the Evening Press, on October 4, stating that revised charges would "take effect" from Monday.

The detailed notice sets out the changes made after the success of our Stop The Highway Robbery campaign against new evening charges and restrictions.

A City of York Council spokeswoman today said: "I can understand why there might be some confusion about when the new evening charges will come in.

"Legally, we could implement the new charges from November 1, but practically we need to make some significant changes to the software which controls the parking meters. This means that the new £2 and £1 evening parking charges will not come in effect until Monday, November 22."

The spokeswoman said Minster badge holders would still be able to claim 30p per hour discounts, unless they were parking all day, until the changes came into effect on November 22.

For the last few months, there has been an hourly charge which could land drivers with a bill of up to £5 for an evening's parking.

From November 22, if you can show you are a York resident, that will drop to just £1 to park at any time between 6pm and midnight. Without a Minster Badge, it will be £2.

To get a badge send a SAE, along with a photocopy of your vehicle registration document, to: City Parking Office, 9 St Leonard's Place, York.

Updated: 10:15 Saturday, October 30, 2004