Bradford motorists look set to face higher parking charges within months.

The authority is poised to sign up to a plan which will raise the price of long-stay parking and introduce more on-street parking charges later this year.

Highways chiefs believe the move will slash the number of drivers in line with Gover-nment congestion fears.

Last year Bradford teamed up with the other West Yorkshire authorities to bid for £100 million over five years for the region's road and rail network.

Ministers described the first draft of their plan as 'promising' but in need of 'substantial improvement'.

Those improvements have now been drafted and include:

l reducing the number of long-stay spaces in urban areas

l price rises - particularly in long-stay car parks

l more on-street parking charges

l traffic wardens being replaced by a Council-operated force - decriminalising parking offences

In 2004, the last year for which full figures are available, car drivers paid Bradford Council £1.74 million in fees and fines.

Councillor Anne Hawkes-worth, Bradford's Council's executive member for the environment, said: "Part of the Government's requirement is that we have to have more robust parking charges and if we don't we will not get the money."

The document also agrees to look at dedicating some lanes for vehicles other than cars to get recreational motorists off the road at peak times.

Bradford Council's environment committee will debate the document next week.

Chairman Councillor Ghazanfer Khaliq said: "It is a balancing act and the authority needs to encourage people to use their cars sensibly.

"These changes have to happen. We need to meet the Government's required targets because there is a lot of money at stake."

The document goes before the committee on Tuesday and must be approved by the executive and full Council later this year before being re-submitted to the Government.

The environment committee meeting takes place at 5.30pm on Tuesday in City Hall and is open to the public.