Parking charges in Oswestry could rise by up to £3 in some areas of the town if plans are approved.

Oswestry Town Council is considering increasing the charges on its Central, Horsemarket and Smithfield Street car parks.

If the proposals are approved it would mean parking charges rising by 10p for an hour while there would be an increase of £3 for more than six hours on the three car parks.

A report to councillors suggests the over six-hour fee should rise to £8 from £5.

The council’s markets and car parks committee is due to meet on Wednesday to discuss the possible changes.

For the Central Car Park the cost of buying a ticket could also go up from 40p for people staying for up to one hour to 50p.

The cost of a two-hour stay could rise from 70p to 80p and a stay of between two hours and four hours could rise from £1.50 to £2, while a stay of four to six hours could increase to £3 instead of the current £2.30.

A stay of more than six hours on the car park could also rise from £5 to £8.

On Horsemarket Car Park the proposed increases are the same as for Central Car Park, except for the tariff for a stay of between one and two hours which will remain at 70p.

Smithfield Street Car Park will see the same rises as the Central Car Park.

The report says: “Disabled parking to be at the above rates on all car parks with no concessions.”

Glyns Davies, facilities manager for the town council, said the increases were proposed because the council did not raise the charges at all last year.

Earlier this month it was reported that chairman of Oswestry’s Chamber of Commerce Yossi Gliksman had resigned from the post after eight years due to different parking charges issues.

He said Oswestry Town Council’s decision to refuse his plea for a week of free parking to help Christmas trade was “the final straw”.

Nobody has so far shown an interest in replacing him.

Mr Gliksman today said he feared nobody would be willing to take on the role and the chamber would eventually disappear.

By Chrissy Symmons