TRADERS, churchgoers and the disabled claim they will be unfairly hit by new parking charges in Weymouth and Portland.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council wants to raise between £152,000 and £221,000 to fill a gap in its finances.

The move comes just a year after it filled a £220,000 financial hole by raising parking charges.

Officers say the new fees will be the equivalent of a four per cent increase on council tax.

Hikes will mean extra charges at town centre car parks, scrapping of church permits that allow parking for worship and charging disabled motorists £10 to collect their blue badges.

David Johnston, president of Weymouth and Portland Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said: "We are very concerned about an increase in parking charges. Our main concern is for those who already pay business rates.

"Fewer people in the town, put off by parking charges, could well lead to closure of shops. There is also the matter of the advent of Internet shopping.

"People are going to go elsewhere if parking charges are expensive.

"The council put up parking last year to fill a gap but they can't keep doing it. They should probably start looking at parking permits.

"One of the options the council says it has is to increase residents' parking permits from £45 to £46.50 - raising £2,200 a year.

"Well, that's very little. What I think they should do - and I know this is going to be controversial - is increase permits to £75 a year. It's not much for a year's parking, I would be happy doing it and it would bring in around £44,000."

Ruth Burden, south west area manager for Disability Weymouth, said: "It's a bit of a con really because most blue badge holders have to pay in the council's car parks anyway.

"It's also quite cheeky because the majority of the disabled are on benefits and the least able to pay."

The Rev Pip Salmon, vicar at St Mary's Church, said he was against the plan to abolish the church parking permits.

He said: "I don't personally have a permit but I know some people who do.

"There are lots of places in the country where people can still park for free on a Sunday. It's a shame if people have to pay more so they can attend church."

The Rev Richard Franklin, vicar at Holy Trinity Church, said: "This is the first we've heard of it and obviously I'd like to look at the proposals in detail.

"But if it did come about we'd be very disappointed.

"Until about five or six years ago there was free parking for church goers and that was taken away and I suppose those is a step down the same route."

He added that about 60 of his congregation used the permits.

Coun Howard Legg, spokesman for financial and human resources, defended the proposed hikes.

He said: "Every year the council looks at all its charges and fees, including car parking, and has to balance the income they generate, which helps reduce the burden on the council tax payer, against the impact the increase might have encouraging people to go elsewhere.

"The increased number of tickets sold this year would suggest that people are not discouraged from parking in the borough."

The proposals go before the council's management committee next Tuesday before going out for consultation. A final decision by full council is due to be made on February 15.

Proposals include: * Raising £62,000 by scrapping free half-hour parking in the Park Street Car Park and replacing it with a 40p charge, plus increases in other length of stays * Boosting revenue by £20,000 at the Pavilion by increasing the charge for a two-hour stay from £1 to £2.20 plus increases on other lengths of stays * Raising £31,000 by increasing the two-hour stay at Overcombe, Masonic, Portland Bill, Chesil and Grangecroft car parks from £1.20 to £1.50 and the four-hour charge from £2.40 to £3 * Scrapping church permits used by the congregation of the towns churches which cost between £12 and £121 * Raising £13,000 by increasing the half hour stay on the Esplanade from 30p to 40p, an hour stay from 60p to 80p.

* Charging disabled drivers a £10 administration charge to collect blue badges