DISTRICT council chiefs have rejected Bridport's demands to scrap their controversial all night Parking fees.

Leader Robert Gould defended the 40p charge as "reasonable" although he regretted there had not been time for full consultation before it was introduced.

His remarks came after a written question to the full council from Bridport member David Tett.

He said: "There has been a considerable backlash to the introduction of overnight parking charges. This is due to the fact that on this aspect of the review undertaken into charges for 2005/2006, neither the town council nor chamber of trade were consulted.

"As regards the Bridport town council, it is to pursue the matter by a possible submission to the Local Government Ombudsman.

"I would, therefore, ask that, in the circumstances, this one matter of overnight parking fees be suspended for the current financial year to give the town council and chamber of trade the right to consult its respective members."

In response Coun Gould told him: "The Council made the decision last year to increase parking charges by 10 per cent to help support other Council services and keep the Council Tax increase to low single figures. The suggested increases were the subject of a consultation exercise and at the same time a Member Scrutiny Group was set up to consider the suggested increases. The MSG considered that the increase should be spread out and that a modest overnight charge be levied. Due to the consultation and scrutiny being run at the same time, it was not possible to reconsult on any changes recommended by the MSG.

"The principle that all users of council car parks makes a contribution towards the cost of provision and upkeep seems to me to be a reasonable one. Where people purchase properties with limited or no parking, it does not seem unreasonable for the council to make a modest charge for parking overnight. The charge in Bridport is 40p overnight.

"The revised parking charges have been in place for over a month now and early indications are that evening car parking usage remains high.

"Parking charges are varied annually by the Council under the Road Traffic Act 1984 and relevant regulations. These simply require notice of variation to be published in a local newspaper at least 21 days before the charges come into effect. A notice was in place in various local papers on 4 March 2005. The regulations do not set out a requirement for consultation - the consultation that the council carries out is entirely voluntary and out of courtesy. It is unfortunate that the timing last year did not permit the late change to be consulted on.

"However, as members will be aware, we are changing our scrutiny arrangements this year and car parking and conveniences are being suggested as a priority topic for the new Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee. This should enable consultation on any changes to parking charges later this year."