They are part of a raft of on-street and off-street parking fee increases – some as high as 50 per cent – that will come into effect on Tuesday.

The cost of parking in the 140-space Beckett Street car park will rise by 10p to £1 per hour – maximum stay four hours – and is expected to earn the council an extra £40,000 a year.

Council chiefs hope to raise overall car parking income by five per cent in 2008-09 to help to fund other key council services.

On-street parking in and around Leeds city centre is split into three geographical zones – central, north and west, south and east.

Weekday charges in central and south and east are being held, but will rise in the north and west zone from £1.30 for an hour to £1.50.

Saturday fees are to rise in all three zones – parking for an hour in the central zone will go up by 30p to £1.80, by 50p in north and west to £1.50 and by 10p in south and east to 60p.

There will also be increases at the Woodhouse Lane multi-storey, Burley Road and the Markets car parks.

Labour councillors failed to force a rethink of the Beckett Street rise.

Coun Ted Hanley (Lab, Bramley) told the council's environment and neighbourhoods scrutiny board, a watchdog with the power to ask for the decision to be reconsidered, that charges at the car park had increased by 50 per cent since 2004.

He said people using Beckett Street were often visiting loved ones in hospital and might use the car park up to four times a day.

"They have enough to contend with without facing these ridiculous increases. These sums of money add up."

Coun Hanley said the council should be able to leave the charges unchanged and raise the extra £40,000 another way.

Coun Debra Coupar (Lab, Middleton Park) said there were special circumstances relating to Beckett Street which needed to be taken into account.

A report to the board said Beckett Street was the council's busiest car park and a 10p increase would ensure it remained cheaper than the nearby NHS car park while addressing the over demand.

Coun Rev Alan Taylor (Lib Dem, Harehills) said St James's did a lot to help seriously ill patients and their relatives forced to make lengthy and frequent visits to the hospital including, on occasions, waiving parking fees.

He said some of the issues raised by Coun Hanley were "red herrings," while Coun Brian Cleasby (Lib Dem, Horsforth) claimed the call for a review was a "cynical political game."