THE case for keeping car parking charges low in Gunnislake is to be made to Cornwall Council officers by Calstock Parish Council.

Parish councillors want to arrange a meeting with transport officers to inform them of the strength of feeling in the community against proposed increases in parking charges.

Cornwall Council wants to standardise charges across Cornwall, which would mean a 150% rise in the first hour charge in Callington and Gunnislake. The authority's parking panel is recommending that the rise be from 20p to 30p and not 50p as originally planned.

More than 400 people from Callington joined a campaign to stop the increase and there was large opposition in Gunnislake, where traders said it would be detrimental to businesses and penalise people who used the village car park to go to the doctors' surgery. There is also anger about the substantial rise in parking permit charges.

The former Caradon area has traditionally had lower car parking charges than the rest of the county, because it was recognised that it did not have the same levels of tourists and town centres were struggling.

Cornwall councillor for Gunnislake Russell Bartlett said discussions about car parking charges had started nine months ago and still no decisions had been made.

'People in the west of the county do not wish to subsidise this area, but we have lower wages and and do not have the tourists,' he said.

He said Callington Town Council had been praised for organising a meeting with Cornwall Council officers where local people gave their views on the parking fee increases and it might be a good idea to do the same in Gunnislake.

Calstock councillor Ian Kirk said: 'If we really want to help the people of this parish then we should have this meeting.'

Cllr Bartlett said he would organise a meeting on behalf of the parish council and it would be public, so local people could attend.

The date will be publicised shortly.