CORNWALL Council's parking panel is recommending that proposed parking charges in East Cornwall are reduced after concern that a 150% rise in the first hour charge would impact on local businesses.

Following a consultation process throughout November which provoked more than 1,000 responses and petitions against the proposals, signed by over 5,000 people, the parking panel has recommended to the council's cabinet that the rise be from 20p to 30p, not 50p as originally proposed.

Cornwall Council said it had wanted to make all parking charges across the county the same but there has been anger in Callington and Gunnislake which are struggling from competition from out of town supermarkets and other towns in the former Caradon area which have experienced cheaper parking charges.

Cllr Andrew Long, Cornwall council member for Callington, said he was pleased the parking panel accepted the principle that South East Cornwall had pressures on the town centres that the rest of Cornwall did not, but given the strength of feeling he was disappointed that the officers had been intent on not altering the consultation proposals.

'This success is only part of the journey and we now need to appeal to six of the cabinet members to support the parking policy's recommendations and give the people of Callington, Millbrook, Gunnislake, Liskeard, Saltash and Torpoint 12 months to formulate alternative proposals to protect our town centres.'