Business owners, residents and even tourists have been surprised and angry at Cotswold District Council’s decision to increase car parking by 30 percent, writes Kevin Painter.

Cotswold District Council have stated: “For most of our car parks, charges will go up by 30p to £1.60 for an hour, by 50p to £2.80 for two hours and by 70p to £3.70 for three hours.”

The changes to our car parks include the introduction this autumn of 20-minute free parking bays in four of our car parks in Cirencester, Tetbury and Moreton-in-Marsh. And the retention of the Free After Three scheme.

This will make life much harder for business owners as they try to recover from lockdown. Parking charges have and are killing High Streets.

As many choose to shop where they know they can park for free.

The council should be actively encouraging people to return back to our town centres, obviously safely within government guidelines but instead have chosen to go in the other direction.

This is why a petition has been launched online and available in some shops to ask CDC to reconsider and reverse the proposal.

CDC should be looking at alternatives, such as free parking, or as some have introduced, the first three hours free. Especially as these are available in our neighbouring towns, admittedly under a different council!

For more information about the petition, visit tetburychamber.org.uk