A ROW has broken out over plans by Wirral Council to hike parking charges across the borough.

All charges at Liscard, Heswall, West Kirby and Birkenhead will be going up with effect from January next year.

Prices at Birkenhead will rise from 50p to 70p for up to one hour - while the cost for five hours and over will increase from £5 to £6.

The price of parking for up to one hour at Liscard will rise from 30p to 40p from January, and at Heswall and West Kirby the hike is from 20p to 30p.

Parking in long stay car parks in Birkenhead will rise from £2 to £3 for more than one hour. A long stay at Bridge Road, West Kirby, will rise from £2 to £2.50 and there will be a similar rise at Mount Avenue, Heswall. The charge at the temporary car park at Price Street, Birkenhead, will rise by 100 per cent to £2.

Councillor Brian Cummings, Conservative spokesman for highways, has condemned the increases and says: "The Conservative members of the committee were totally opposed to car parking charges being increased as we believe this will have a detrimental effect on businesses in Birkenhead, Liscard, Heswall and West Kirby.

"It will discourage shoppers from using these areas as they will now go to shopping centres out of the borough which have free car parking - such as at Ellesmere Port, Neston and Northwich.

"It would appear that Labour is, once more, finding ways of raising capital and the motorist will pay."

Oxton Liberal Democrat Coun Stuart Kelly hits out at both Labour and Conservatives, saying: "As far as this party is concerned we think that the charge for the first hour at all car parks should be frozen at its current level.

"The ideal situation is for us to encourage a turnover of shoppers: we can go some way to achieving this by protecting the first hour."

Chair of Wirral Highways Committee, Coun. Harry Smith (Labour), said: "The Conservative position is ludicrous. We would have to put the charges up because of inflation. The engineers and finance departments have both said that we had to put prices up.

"If we did not put the charges up we would have less spending on highways. We think there is a very good package of safety and security measures and that the rise is justified.

"The whole thing is up for consultation, but I don't think it will deter shoppers."

Norma Clarke Manager of the Grange Shopping Centre in Birkenhead said: "This is not the way forward as we are still upgrading Birkenhead. In my view, it will discourage people from visiting."

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