The town clerk, Trudi Barrett, accepted a consultation process would have cost money however, and she understood the county council was trying to reduce its costs, to avoid having to declare itself effectively bankrupt.
In response to the concerns, council leader Heather Kidd, told a meeting on Thursday: “Parking charges across the county have not been put up for three years, so there was a gap in the budget.”
She said the fees had to go up because the council was “desperate for money”.
But she said a review would be carried out and invited councillors to present the council with evidence, “so we can put something sensible in place”.
Kidd said people should not be forced to park on the street and work needed to be done “to make sure we understand the issues”.
