CAR parking charges in West Devon could rise for a second time in 12 months, following a recommendation made this week.

Members of the borough council's environment committee agreed on Monday that West Devon's parking strategy be amended, allowing for a review in parking fees.

Car parking manager Cathy Aubertin told the committee the current strategy, which stated that charges be increased every two years in line with inflation, did not allow for the fact that income in borough council car parks had fallen.

Mrs Aubertin said the budgeted income for the last financial year was £864,919, but the actual income was only £789,441. A similar drop in income was being forecast for the coming year.

She said: 'The fall in the use of car parks is a national trend and the professional opinion is that this is due to several reasons, including the recession, increasing fuel prices and the poor summer weather we have experienced in recent years.'

Mrs Aubertin said the council had agreed to use 10% of pay and display income to maintain and develop its car parking service — but because of the fall in income, the authority did not have the resources to do so adequately.

Car parking tariffs were put up in April this year. Mrs Aubertin said if the strategy was altered, West Devon's car parking strategy group, which comprised town, borough and county councillors, plus chamber of trade members, would then review the charges as soon as possible.

Cllr David Cloke said he had several concerns about increasing car parking tariffs — the borough was encouraging people to use public transport and take advantage of concessionary fares, yet this would contribute to lower car parking usage. He also felt it would have been better to have increased the fees by a higher percentage in April, rather than increase them twice in a year.

'Putting up car parking rates will actually penalise the more consistent users — I don't think this will increase income, I think it will actually have an adverse effect,' he said.

Cllr Philip Sanders said if fewer people were using the car parks, there would be less wear and tear and therefore the maintenance costs should decrease.

Cllr Alison Clish-Green said the whole issue of car parking should be looked at 'very carefully' — particularly as the county council was thinking of introducing parking meters in Tavistock and Okehampton.

Cllr Terry Pearce said many people made use of the park and ride system to do their shopping in Plymouth, rather than come to Tavistock.

He said there were already many empty shops in the town and increasing parking charges would do nothing to help commerce in the town centre.

'We are halfway to killing the goose that laid the golden egg here — this could slaughter it.

'I think we need to be very careful about this — it's going to drive people away,' he warned.

The committee voted by five votes to four to accept the change in the borough's parking strategy.

The parking strategy group will now be asked to review the tariffs.