IT promises to be the hottest ticket in town.

When seven councillors decide next month where a York homeless centre should go, demand for seats in the public gallery will be so great that it is being made a ticket-only event.

Council leader Steve Galloway said the ticketing scheme - the first such arrangements for a council debate in living memory -is intended to ensure each of the interested parties has at least some guaranteed seats in the 60-capacity gallery.

But campaigners today blasted the decision, saying the council should re-arrange the debate for a larger venue.

One protester, Phil Catherall, of Claremont Terrace, said: "He (Coun Galloway) seems prepared to take steps to hamper their democratic rights as he is not prepared to hold the meeting in a larger venue."

It also emerged today that only seven members of City of York Council's executive will decide where the Arc Light centre should go without an officer's recommendation to guide them.

Coun Galloway said: "I am advised that officers will appraise all the options, but that they will be seeking members instructions on the preferred site."

He also said Coun Ann Reid and Coun Quentin MacDonald - both members of the planning committee - will not participate in the debate on May 2, as "that might prejudice their impartiality in dealing with any subsequent planning application".

That will leave the decision, which will not require ratification by full council, to be made by Coun Galloway, his wife Sue, Carol Runciman, Charles Hall, Keith Orrell, Andrew Waller and Sue Sunderland.

But Coun Galloway said the executive would act with the "benefit of the advice on the topic" of Labour's shadow executive, which would be meeting the previous week.

With the centre needing to move from its current home in Leeman Road, councillors will be choosing from a shortlist of four possible sites - Marygate car park, Nunnery Lane car park, Union Terrace car park and the former Reynards building, in Piccadilly. There have been fierce protests from residents living near each of the car parks.

One resident involved in the Arc Light campaign, Lee Lambley, has repeatedly called on Coun Galloway to relocate the meeting to a larger venue, where more members of the public could attend.

The council leader responded to his demand by saying all executive meetings were held in the Guildhall, and the chamber was the largest room in the building, with a separate public gallery and microphone facilities. But Mr Lambley claimed this still did not answer the question as to why the venue could not be moved.

l People can apply for tickets by phoning Fiona Young on 01904 551024. Efforts will be made to ensure residents from each of the four neighbourhoods, as well as Arc Light representatives, will receive a proportion of the tickets. The capacity was set for health and safety reasons.

Updated: 11:30 Thursday, April 20, 2006