CAR parking charges in West Devon will rise from April 1 borough councillors decided this week, despite pleas to meet the council's shortfall by other means.

Plans by West Devon Borough Council to meet a £38,000 budget shortfall provoked outrage from Okehampton and Tavistock chambers of trade who fear the move will drive shoppers away.

Objections were also received from Waitrose in Okehampton which said the hike in charges would undo all the good work the store had done in attracting new shoppers to Okehampton.

But members of the council's policy and resources committee were told the reason why the proposals were more contentious was because the one-hour stay charge had not been put up since 1995 — the plan is to add 10p to the one and two hour charges.

Cllr Nick Morgan suggested the rise be put on hold whilst a review was carried out by the new car parking supervisor and the council's shortfall be met in another way.

Cllr Ted Sherrell said it was unfair that Tavistock and Okehampton residents were subsidising other council-owned car parks in smaller towns and villages where parking was free.

Members were told one of the alternatives was an increase of £4 on the annual council tax bill to all ratepayers in the borough.

Cllr Nick Waterhouse said objections about the rise came from townspeople and special interest groups: 'There are 20,000 households in the district — not everybody lives in the towns and I have not had one single e-mail or phone call about this.'

But Cllr Dick Eberlie said West Devon depended on active and prosperous business and the council had to be careful when considering the so called 'special interest groups'.

'We have to be aware of the particular problems in Tavistock because Safeway's free parking has made it very difficult for the town centre traders,' he said.

Cllr Jayne Hill said as a motorist driving over 300 miles a week a rise of 10p did not seem like a huge jump.

'We have to look at the other side of the coin and consider whether it is right that an elderly person on limited income should pay extra community charge to subsidise drivers parking in borough council car parks,' she said.

Committee members heard West Devon charges were comparable to other towns in the area.

Cllr Roger Mathew said: 'Commerce is vital to our town centre but in my personal view the threat in Tavistock from free parking at the out of town Safeway store is overstated — I would say the store brings as much trade into the town as it sucks away.'

Commercial services manager Mark Hall explained people had wrongly connected the rise in car parking charges with the appointment of a car parking supervisor at the cost of £25,000, which had in fact been decided a year ago.

'Asking for a car parking supervisor is not a frivolous request — people who know me know that I get blood out of a stone and I do not come to the committee asking for luxuries,' he said.

'We need this for the development of the service and it is interesting that a lot of the things people have written in about are the things we want a car park supervisor to do.'