THE Evening Press reported that the city council executive approved the traffic regulation order needed to raise car park charges (February 4).

What we actually approved was the increase in charging hours.

Day-time parking charges from March 1 will only increase by an average of five per cent, that is 10p an hour for medium and long-stay car parks and 20p an hour for short-stay.

Compare this with Labour's massive 20 per cent price rises for each of the last two years - changes on which they consulted no one.

Those huge price rises have led to a decrease in the use of city centre car parks and a huge hole in the car parking budget - money needed to maintain those car parks and provide CCTV and patrols.

Evening parking charges will go some way to redress the balance and help retain city centre viability during the day.

Ann Reid,

Executive member for

planning and transport,

Grassholme,

York.

Updated: 10:44 Saturday, February 07, 2004