CONGESTION charges could be introduced to York if a council follows the recommendation of its officers.

The controversial scheme, like the one in London, would be introduced to prevent the city's traffic grinding to a halt.

A new draft report by City of York Council officers warns that existing transport plans do not go far enough to cope with the rising number of vehicles on the road.

Residents will now be consulted on a range of proposals for tackling the city's traffic problem.

Labour councillor Tracey Simpson-Laing, who first called for the new report, said people might support charging if the revenue was used to boost public transport services.

She said if nothing was done York would have a 27 per cent rise in traffic over the next ten to 15 years, which would lead to a decline in air quality that could have long term effects on all residents.

A "suggested strategy" attached with the report proposes a seven-pronged approach that includes substantial investment in public transport and facilities for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as road pricing.

In her report, thought to be the first to propose charging, Melanie Carr, scrutiny officer for the council, said: "Many measures have or are close to achieving their maximum potential for restricting traffic growth at the level of investment to date and more extensive measures are likely to be required in the future."

She said more extensive funding sources would be needed, with the most likely being the Department for Transport's new Transport Innovation Fund (TIF).

She said road pricing was most likely to attract the funding but the revenue collection and scheme operation costs would have to be assessed to determine if it was viable.

Council leader Andrew Waller reiterated the Liberal Democrat position that they would accept road pricing only as part of a wider, national scheme.