Motorists face being fleeced to park claim

With income from charges after the first 22 weeks of the financial year exceeding the budget estimate by £101,000, Liberal Democrats are calling for the "war-chest" to be invested in the beleaguered town centre.

"This represents a stealth tax in excess of 17 per cent and reflects the stinging increases in car parking charges that the Conservative administration introduced earlier this year," said Cllr Mike Brooke, Lib Dem spokesman for the local economy. "It is ironic that whilst the national party condemns the use of stealth taxes, the local administration is doing just the opposite.

"It is using them to generate large amounts of extra income from local residents as well as from visitors to the town," he added.

Cllr Brooke, who has a business in the town centre, said ways must be found to use this money in areas suffering from additional car parking restrictions.

"Already we are seeing a significant decrease in pedestrian numbers in parts of the High Street where businesses are feeling the pinch," he said.

"Poole cannot afford to treat residents, businesses and visitors in this way. Our lifeblood is being threatened."

Beach car park charges rose by 50p an hour during the high season, the all day charge went from £8 to £10, permits rose and winter charging was introduced.

Higher charges and greater use of the beach car parks were factors mentioned by Richard Hein, parking services manager, for the surplus, along with greater-than-national-average fine recovery and a bailiff clearing a backlog of unpaid fines.

Council leader Brian Leverett, said: "It is clear these parking charges, when compared with those levied by similar local authorities, continue to offer real value for money. The public are still visiting our award-winning beaches in large numbers.

"This income goes into the running of car parks and helps to keep the council tax down. Despite financial pressures we did not raise town centre parking charges this year."

First published: Oct 11