CONTROVERSIAL plans to raise the car parking charges in West Devon have been supported by Okehampton town councillors to prevent rate payers footing the bill for a shortfall in the borough council's finances.
Cllr Tony Leech said members were between 'a rock and a hard place' when they discussed the issue at a meeting last week.
Proposals to raise the charges by 10p an hour in West Devon Borough Council-owned car parks met with outrage from traders in Okehampton and Tavistock, who feared the increase would drive shoppers away.
But the borough council said ratepayers could be forced to fork out an extra £4 on their annual council tax bill if the proposals were rejected.
Cllr Leech said he understood that 30 per cent of the population of Okehampton did not own cars so therefore was it right that these people should be helping to pay for the car parks through their rates?
'The council has to raise the money somehow and we were between a rock and a hard place,' he said. 'It was either the car parking charges or the rates and the former seems the most fair way of doing it.'
But Cllr Gill Lower said in her opinion everybody should pay a little to help make up the council's shortfall.
'I believe everyone should chip in and help — why should the car owners suffer when the money raised in revenue from the car parks is for general use, not just for the upkeep of the car parks.'
Okehampton chamber of trade chairman Ian Bailey said he was very disappointed that the town council had taken this position.
'I was hoping members would look at the bigger picture — the more people we can encourage from outside the area here to shop, the more jobs and prosperity for everyone in Okehampton.
'We should be looking at reducing the prices not raising them — all we are doing is driving people into Exeter and Plymouth to shop.'
A spokeswoman for Waitrose said the company was not very happy about the proposed car parking charges and the issue was being dealt with through the head office.
A decision on whether to increase the car parking charges will be made at the borough council's policy and resources committee meeting in Okehampton on Tuesday.