WEYMOUTH and Portland Borough Council is being urged to bring forward the date when parking charges are reduced from their summer rate for the good of local businesses.

The Liberal Democrat Group is requesting the council decrease the rates as soon as possible in September to support businesses in the town.

A vote by the council’s Management Committee in March saw the council implement higher charges in its off –street car parks for the summer season with the rates set to stay at that level until November 1.

The group though wants to see the rates reduced sometime in September.

Speaking on behalf of the Liberal Democrat Group, Cllr Gill Taylor said: “This decrease is much too late and the extra charges should be removed as soon as practicable after September 1 or at the very latest by the end of September.

“The increase in March did nothing to boost the economy of the town. The main summer season is now coming to an end and it is now time to reverse the increases as soon as possible to support our businesses.”

Cllr Taylor said they need to work to get as many people as possible in to the town as holidaymakers begin to go home.

She said: “This time of year the holidaymakers are starting to go home.

“We need to get as many local people as possible in to the town.

“From now on the kids are back in school. We need to work out what we need to do to get people in to the town to spend money.”

The group also claim that the increase may have breached legal provision and has called for an audit of parking.

Cllr Taylor said: "We now need an audit of the off-street parking service as a matter of urgency to discover what has happened to the extra income that has been generated by these extra charges and to determine how to use this for the benefit of local residents and improvement of our car parking facilities.

Cllr Ray Nowak, transport and infrastructure briefholder for Weymouth and Portland Borough Council said that any decision would have to be approved by the council's management committee.

He said: "The council is in the process of reviewing and consolidating the car parking policies and will be meeting with the BID and Chamber of Commerce to discuss the issues in due course.

“Last year, the council agreed to introduce winter car parking charges, which will come into effect in November and is a first for the borough. We will also be exploring the options for supporting Christmas trading, but any changes to parking charges will need to be approved by management committee.”