Radical money-saving plans including the sale of the private registration number from the Lord Mayor's car and charging visitors to the Museum Gardens may be considered by City of York Council.

Leader Rod Hills has refused to deny that a set of proposals, leaked to the Evening Press by a council member, is being considered as the council tries to make up a budget deficit of more than £4 million.

They include closing the city's museums outside the main tourist season, privatising public toilets, reducing the amount spent on snow clearance and introducing large increases in car parking charges.

Other cost-cutting proposals being looked at as part of the council's leisure review, aimed at improving value for money, include closing the Barbican and Yearsley swimming pools, the York Story and three branch libraries.

Coun Hills said: "This is a very interesting mix of ideas and I wish I had thought of one or two of them, but I won't confirm or deny that any of them have been suggested.

"We do have a sizeable gap between what we have been spending this year and our forecast for next year, because of a number of things such as pay increases and inflation, and we are looking at ways of saving money.

"We are looking at the whole service we provide for ways to make savings. It is going to be difficult."

Coun Hills said he would personally be against any move to charge visitors to the Museum Gardens.

He said: "We would certainly oppose any charges for getting into the Museum Gardens, but I am not going to comment on any of the issues on the list."

If the Lord Mayor's registration number - DN 1 - is sold,. it could fetch more than £20,000 at auction, a DVLA spokeswoman said.

The potential shortfall in the budget also means that council tax could increase by more than six per cent.

The suggestions would now only be at a discussion stage, with decisions on how to save the money not yet made. The full council will have a budget meeting on February 22.

Coun Mick Bradley, Liberal Democrat spokesman, said: "A lot of these suggestions would be very unpopular with the public and I would recommend close consultation with them."

And Conservative leader John Galvin said: ""This is a Labour council which has been forced into this situation through national government screwing down local government finance and now they are thrashing about looking for savings."

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