A PROPOSAL to Cornwall Council's cabinet members to return car parking fees in Callington to 20p for the first hour will be discussed next week.

The charges were increased from 20p to 40p in April but figures for Callington's New Road Car Park show that income from the car park is dropping.

The council's parking policy panel will be making the recommendation along with proposals for other towns at a meeting on September 16.

Callington councillor Andrew Long who supported Callington Traders' Association's petition against the charge increase said the council's decision had backfired.

In a previous article in the Times he said: 'We now can see the evidence with an almost empty car park and a big drop in income. This is having a double negative effect, not only is it not getting income that the council needs, it is discouraging people from using our town centre which is putting the livelihoods of traders and hundreds of workers under threat.'

He said Callington needed to be looked at in isolation because of its close proximity to Tavistock and Liskeard.

'Are car parks just cash cows or community services — that is the decision that has to be made,' he said.

'By lowering the car parking fees, people may come back to the car park and more income could be made.'