A WORRIED councillor believes Bewdley’s prosperity is being put at risk by increased car parking charges.

Bewdley Town councillor Anna Coleman handed in a 1,000-signature petition in to Wyre Forest District Council’s cabinet calling for a halt to increases in the town.

In December, the Conservative administration announced it was scrapping free car parking days and replacing them with an hour’s free car parks at more venues and increasing charges by four per cent.

Councillor Rebecca Vale, cabinet member for operational services, said the previous free parking scheme had not worked and increasing charges would help prevent council tax rises for all as the authority looks to make up a £1.8million funding gap over the next three years.

But Councillor Coleman said traders were being penalised while people who signed the petition did so because they believed the charges were already too high and increases would stop them coming into the town.

She said: “A lot of older people live on the outskirts of the town and the poor quality of our public transport network means that they have to rely on their cars to get to the local shops.

“These increases may force them to walk up and down hill to do their shopping, and many of the will find this a struggle.

“The free parking period at Gardiners Meadow is unhelpful to fiercely independent people who just can’t walk that far back in to the town.

“Most of the local people I’ve spoken with are concerned that cuts in government funding, together with rising costs, mean that the council are having to work harder to manage their budgets.

“However, we are asking for this increase to parking charges to be replaced with a low rate flat charge, as this will encourage people to stay in the town longer.”