Claims that big car parking charge increases across rural Dorset are being planned after April have been denied.

Finance briefholder for the new Dorset Council and a member of the shadow Weymouth Town Council Cllr Tony Ferrari says there is no truth whatsoever in the rumour.

A meeting in the town was told that the new authority is planning to increase charges to bring the rest of the area in line with Weymouth’s charges; to increase some charges in Weymouth and scrap free parking after 6pm and on Sundays.

Cllr Ferrari told the Local Democracy Reporting service: "I hate to ruin a good story but there’s no truth in it at all. We have no plans at the moment to increase any car parking charges although I dare say in future that it is something we will have to look at.”

Paid council-owned car parks across rural Dorset, with a few minor exceptions, will all transfer to the new unitary Dorset Council in April when the existing district and borough councils cease to exist.

One of the exceptions is Portland where the free car parks are expected to go to the town council and at Corfe Castle where a small car park, used by residents, will be transferred to the parish council.