Christmas shoppers could receive a festive boost in the form of free parking.

The Conservative group at Brighton and Hove City Council is calling on the Green administration to offer free parking in some council-owned car parks in the run-up to Christmas.

Councillor Graham Cox, group transport spokesman, and Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, the group leader, will table the proposal at today’s full council meeting.

They want free parking at Norton Road, London Road, Regency Square, High Street, Kemp Town and Trafalgar Street car parks on Saturday, December 7 and on the three Sundays before Christmas (December 8, 15 and 22).

They believe the proposal would boost small high street shops in the run-up to Christmas.

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Coun Cox said the Tories hoped to present a figure to the council meeting indicating how much the scheme will cost.

Coun Cox said: “We think the council can afford this. Last year it made a surplus of £13 million on parking and there is every reason to believe it will make more this year. We have been very specific about which car parks should be free and two of them – Norton Road and London Road – are massively under used so there will be benefits from this idea. The city’s traders could do with a bit of a boost before Christmas and we think offering their customers free parking in council car parks will do just that. I very much hope councillors from the other two parties agree with our proposal.”

Coun. Theobald said: “Local councils the length and breadth of the country offer their residents and visitors free or reduced parking in the run up to Christmas and I think Brighton and Hove should be doing the same.

“The Green administration has hiked up parking charges so much in the last couple of years and this gesture would go a small way towards ridding the city of its ‘rip off parking’ tag.”

A spokesman for the Labour Group said: “Free seasonal parking is something introduced by Labour authorities in London and elsewhere, and it's something we support in principle.

“However the Tories have not said how they would pay for it and ultimately tax payers could end up footing the bill.”

The Unchain the Brighton Motorist lobby group said it backed the idea.