York could be named the 2008 European Capital of Culture under ambitious plans being aired by leisure chiefs.

City of York Council may apply for the title, vying against competition from much bigger cities including Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool.

But the council believes the city can put together a strong enough bid.

Leisure spokesman Councillor Ken King said: "We are much smaller than these cities and so are some way behind but, should the decision be taken to make a bid, I would be confident that we had an extremely strong chance of success.

"York has a lot to offer. We have all sorts of talent within York and I am very proud of it - its past achievements, its vibrancy today and its potential for the future."The plan is to be discussed with members of the newly formed York Leisure Partnership, made up of representatives from businesses and organisations across the city.

They will decide if the city will put in a bid, which would have financial implications.

A full costing would be carried out to discover the expense if it is decided to take the bid further. The full application would need to be lodged before the March deadline.

Coun King said: "The bid would clearly be aspirational and it would be up to the partnership to decide what would be included.

"If we did get it, it would bring in a vast amount of money from tourism, it would bring in a lot of sponsorship and would improve and increase facilities in the city. But what is most important is we would be called the European Capital of Culture, and what better accolade is there than that?

"At the end of the day, this may not be what the people of York actually want, but considering a bid may help galvanise our thinking and wake the sleeping giant that is York's cultural richness."The idea to apply comes as the York Leisure Partnership begins drawing up a cultural plan for York.

Coun King said: "What should York be like in five, ten or 20 years time? What facilities and opportunities will we want?"We're aiming for clear action plans covering a full range of interests, including arts, sports, museums, libraries, tourism, cultural heritage, countryside, parks and play.

"We want to raise the profile of the sector and encourage innovation and investment."

Updated: 08:18 Thursday, August 16, 2001