WEYMOUTH residents were left disappointed after quizzing council chiefs about soaring parking charges.

People from the Park District met with representatives from Weymouth and Portland Borough Council to discuss the rising cost of parking permits.

The annual cost of permits rocketed this year from £48 to £60 and it is expected there will be further increases over the next two years.

The council says the price reflects the adminIstration costs going up.

Frustration about the Park District becoming the ‘parking district’ because of its proximity to the town centre, beach and railway station prompted the council to introduce a trial residents’ parking scheme in summer 1999.

It proved popular and has operated all-year round since 2001. The price was initially frozen but costs started to creep up.

This year’s hike did not go down well with residents who organised a petition.

Petition organiser Andy Down, of Hardwick Street, was hoping for a two-hour discussion and an explanation of council figures for the scheme. What he got was a one-hour meeting and no figures.

A flabbergasted Mr Down said: “If that’s the way the council run things you can see why Weymouth is in such a state.”

He said council transport spokesman Christine James, who chaired the meeting, called time after an hour.

Mr Down, 47, said: “We wanted to know how much it costs to run the scheme and they couldn’t tell us because of the money it would cost to produce the figures which is ridiculous.

“Christine James cut short the meeting because she said she had other commitments and she upset a few people by saying if they can afford to run a car they can afford a permit.”

Helen Walker, aged 50, of Charles Street, said: “The council is under the impression we want the scheme abolished which isn’t true.

“We wanted to discuss ideas of how we can bring the costs down in future.”

Some residents feel the scheme should operate for just the summer.

Coun James said she thought the meeting went well, and believed that she was ‘fair and honest’ with residents.

She added: “We agreed that the parking manager would get the latest figures and meet again.

“When I closed the meeting there was nothing the residents wanted to ask, they were just going over the same points.”

Coun James said the council would be happy to work with residents about ideas for the scheme.