Former mayor Brian Fitch said road tolls would be introduced in Brighton and Hove "over my dead body."

The £2 charge to enter the city forms part of a £1 billion package of plans mapping out the future of transport in the south east for the next 20 years.

Labour Coun Fitch, his party's longest serving member, was outspoken in his attack on the proposal at a meeting of the city council's environment committee last night.

He said: "Even to consider these punitive charges that would hit people in the city is wrong. It will be done over my dead body.

"This city lives and breathes because of motor transport. For far too long the motorist has been hit and this administration will not bring in car charges."

Politicians and business leaders have rallied against the idea since it was revealed in The Argus last week saying it would put a stranglehold on the city.

Tory councillor Gary Peltzer Dunn told the committee also he opposed suggestions in the study for increasing city centre parking charges by £5.

Green councillor Rik Child said today supported both ideas in principle.

He said: "I would like to see how congestion charges turn out in London.

"It is an untried policy so far. The objectives are laudable but I would like to see what happens."

Tory leader Brian Oxley said today he believed current parking charges were already high enough and increasing them could drive away visitors.

He said: "It would be a retrograde step. We describe the council's attitude towards the car as 'a war on the car'.

"Putting congestion charges on would ratchet that up a notch, we should be finding ways to better accommodate cars and all forms of transport.

"If the way people lead their lives is to own a cars, it is not for councillors to make their lives harder.

"Car parking charges are high enough in Brighton and Hove. There is evidence they are driving people away from the city centre to other places like Crawley and Worthing."

Councillors are backing proposals that will allow local authorities which run parking schemes to enforce bus lanes.

Transport councillor Simon Battle told the committee this would enable the council to keep illegal traffic out of bus areas in Western Road and North Street.

Other recommendations in the South Coast Corridor Multi-Modal Study, drawn up by Government consultants Halcrow, could include a supertram running from Shoreham to Brighton Marina and six new train stations.