YORK MP Hugh Bayley today told traders who say parking charges are crippling their businesses that he will take their fight to the council.

Mr Bayley made the pledge at a meeting with Goodramgate retailers and restaurateurs - and asked them not to go through with a proposal to pay their business rates into a joint account until the charges are slashed.

"I don't blame (the council) for implementing new policies which they ran their election campaign on," he said.

"But if you put money into schemes, you look to make savings elsewhere. It is how you run any business."

Mr Bayley also said he believed the charges penalised those who live and work in the city centre to pay for services provided to the whole city.

He called on traders in Goodramgate, Micklegate and Fossgate to give him "evidence" of the string of charges so he could meet with council bosses.

City centre Labour councillor Brian Watson, who also attended the meeting, told the traders: "I find it difficult getting across to these people the impact of the charges."

Simon Evans, who owns international furniture and gift shop The Canopy, where today's meeting was held, said the outcome had been more positive than he had expected.

"We are quite happy to try anything. The council don't seem interested," he said.

"My personal feeling is that it is pure arrogance. They think they have got it right and they are not prepared to listen."

Hamish Macdiarmid, of The Sound Organisation, said: "It is not for the council to feel it owns the city. It is for the city to feel it owns the council."

Ann Reid, City of York Council's executive member for planning and transport, said council officers had already met with Goodramgate traders and listened to their worries.

"The vast majority of their concerns are about daytime business, and in that respect, it is not a new policy because Labour councils have used parking charges to bolster their deficits," she said.

Coun Reid said officers would be coming back to the council with proposals to address the problems.

Updated: 12:01 Saturday, June 26, 2004