A council has voted to note an 8,000-strong petition against plans to introduce car parking charges in two Suffolk towns and a village.
In December, Babergh District Council announced plans to charge for parking in Hadleigh, Lavenham and Sudbury, where it is currently free for three hours, in order to balance its books as it faces a £6.7million budget gap over the next four years.
The new tariffs would only apply to council-run car parks, with existing on-street parking remaining unchanged and Blue Badge holders still able to park for free.
A petition against these plans, validated as having 8,758 signatures, was presented to Babergh District Council at a meeting on Tuesday, February 20.
Cllr Clover, who launched the petition in December, said: "These are the residents whose best interests we have promised to represent in return for the privilege of being elected by them.
"There were another 2,000 shoppers who were not eligible to be counted. Make no mistake, these town centre car parks serve all Babergh wards.
"The petition shows us that visitors come from a wide radius including Colchester, Clacton, Ipswich, Needham Market, Stowmarket, Bury St Edmunds, Chelmsford, Braintree, Halstead and surrounding villages."
Cllr Clover branded the plan an 'unjustified extra tax on our residents and business owners'.
Cllr John Ward, acting leader of Babergh District Council, said: “We would rather not introduce short-term parking charges, and it is no surprise so many people signed this petition objecting to them.
“We will obviously reflect on the comments from this debate. It is also important for us to continue seeking feedback from town and parish councils across the district, to ensure we get a complete picture of how people feel.
“However, it is important to stress we are legally required to balance our books. As it stands, we face a total budget gap of £6.7m in the next four years, with only £2.4m of reserves available. We are heading towards a financial cliff edge, and in this situation, it would be negligent of us not to consider all options.”
Councillors voted in favour of 'noting' the petition, meaning they recognised the concerns and will be mindful of them as the process continues. with 17 for, 12 against and one abstention.
Engagement with towns and parishes will continue until early March.
Proposed new tariffs will be reviewed by the Overview and Scrutiny Community before coming back to cabinet in April.
The cost of subsiding free parking is expected to be more than £400,000 in the next financial year, and councillors have warned that avoiding a parking tariff could mean cuts elsewhere.
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