SOME parking charges in Weymouth may be frozen because the high charges and congestion are driving away visitors.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council will be meeting next week to discuss the future of parking charges in the borough after a report suggested that the number of people using the town’s car parks is falling.

The council is proposing to freeze short stay car park charges for 12 months from April 2011 to try and encourage people back into the town.

But they have suggested that long stay car parking charges could increase to help fund the deficit, as they were not increased last year.

The report states that there are a ‘number of reasons’ that people are not using the car parks in town, including the increases in charges made to short stay car parks in 2009/10 and the Weymouth Transport Package.

The council changed parking fees so that the centre of town car parks like Governors Lane and Park Street, were more expensive than Lodmoor and Swannery car parks that are out of town.

Town centre parking is now £1.30 an hour compared to 80 pence or £1.10 an hour out of town.

In Dorchester, parking is 60 pence per hour in short stay car parks and in Bournemouth visitors can park from £1 an hour – making Wey-mouth the most expensive option for tourists and residents alike.

The borough council said that it expects to take another hit next year when Dorset County Council opens up the Mount Pleasant park and ride at an expected loss to Weymouth and Portland council of between £190,000 and £410,000.

Coun Peter Chapman, Weymouth and Portland Borough Council spokesman for finance and assets, said that at the end of this year the council could be £61,000 down on the revenue it expected to get from car parking charges.

He added: “The figures aren’t too alarming for this year, we will be £16,000 down on a budget of £12million.”

He added: “The setting of car park charges is always a balancing act. Too high and it discourages people, too low results in a loss of potential income.

“This year we have had to take into account other factors such as the downturn in the economy, which has affected us and other seaside locations and the major roadworks that have taken place.”

Coun Chapman said that the council was in discussion with the Chamber of Commerce to provide free parking for late-night shopping at Christmas.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s management committee will discuss the car parking proposals on September 7.