Controversial parking charge hike for Shropshire towns will be reconsidered by cabinet

The vote means the cabinet will be asked to look specifically at the decision to start charging from 6pm to 8pm, and on Sundays, as well as the 'higher charges' in Shrewsbury, and the banding for fees in Wem.

The meeting had earlier heard from Seb Slater, executive director of Shrewsbury BID (Business Improvement District), warning that the plans could cost the town's economy up to £7m a year.

He also said that the BID had not been asked its opinion on the move.

The committee was examining the proposals after opposition Labour and Liberal Democrat groups said they should be 'called in' for scrutiny.

During the meeting Councillor Dan Morris, the authority's Conservative Cabinet Member in charge of Highways, admitted that the council's own estimates predict that 21,237 people would stop using Shrewsbury car parks because of the planned increases.

He said that 9,000 would be expected to transfer to park and ride, with the rest considering "alternative arrangements".

But opposing councillors highlighted that the park and ride needed investment to make it a viable alternative – and that its current price is actually more expensive than some stays at car parks.

Councillor Morris said there was a plan to invest in the service – partly from the money raised from increasing car parking charges.

The meeting heard that the increase in charges was intended for investment across the parking service – to be used on maintenance and other issues.

Council officer Andy Wilde, who had prepared the report on the plans, said urgent investment was needed to resurface car parks, carry out re-lining, and issues with some barriers.

He said the council's own inspectors, and its insurers, had raised concerns about "significant defects" in the authority's car parks.

But it was revealed that the service has also had a surplus of more than £4m from parking over the preceding three years, which the council had not decided to use to address the issues.

The meeting heard that money had been diverted into other parts of the transport budget.

Labour group leader Councillor Julia Buckley said it was vital that the council was not setting out to make money from the service.

She said: "The law is very clear. You cannot set out to intentionally generate a profit, and the last council that tried to do that – Westminster - was legally challenged and they lost the case."

Councillor Buckley also said the logic of the cabinet report proposing the changes was wide of the mark.

She said: "The report itself actually states that parking increases should be lower out of the River Loop and they should go higher the further you get to the centre.

"Later in the same report it proposes a nought per cent increase on Raven Meadows – the car park within the Loop, and 50 per cent increase for Frankwell, outside the Loop, and 67 per cent for Abbey Foregate outside the Loop, so the report contradicts itself."

She also queried why the public had not been asked for their views.

She said: "It is not a good look for this council. We should have consulted and I was appalled to read in the officer's response that they considered a consultation but decided not to because it would only open up negative responses. That is not good enough."

Lib Dem group leader, Councillor Roger Evans, said the plans would "really kill Sunday trading in Shrewsbury".

He urged the council to keep any increases in line with inflation.

Asked if he was concerned about the impact of the changes, Councillor Morris conceded it may be something the cabinet could take a fresh look at.

He said: "As with any change there is an element of risk. Any numbers that are put forward are forecasts - they could be more, they could be less.

"I suspect the service, or the council, may want to look at the impact of these changes again and I think that might be a good thing for scrutiny to take – and to look at the impact of any changes made."

Ludlow Lib Dem Councillor Andy Boddington had earlier urged the committee not just to consider Shrewsbury as he raised concerns that the proposals could be "severely damaging" for Ludlow.

But in response Councillor Morris said the rise was "20p" and warned of the danger of publicly bemoaning the rise.

He said: "To put the increases in context for Ludlow, it is a 20p increase. While it is an increase, it is a small increase and there is a wider point about the impact of making almost a big noise about this becomes – sometimes you are in danger of talking yourself into a self-fulfilling prophecy by making a big noise about a 20p increase."

Edward Towers, Independent Councillor for Wem, had also urged the committee to reconsider the charges for the town, warning it suffered from "being sandwiched between Shrewsbury and Whitchurch".