MEMBERS of Marlborough Chamber of Commerce are to write to Kennet District Council expressing their disgust that no consultation with the local community took place over the introduction of Sunday parking charges.

Following a decision by last week's meeting of the district council's community development policy committee, charges for parking in town centre car parks on Sundays and bank holidays will begin next April.

Committee chairman Coun Chris Humphries had told fellow councillors that as seven-day trading was now going on in Marlborough, there was no reason why charging for parking shouldn't as well.

He said that congestion in the town centre on a Sunday had become a problem and traders would welcome charging when they saw how it improved access to the town.

But Anthony Wells, president of Marlborough Chamber of Commerce, was sceptical about the council's motives for introducing Sunday charging. He said: "What they mean is there is no reason why Kennet cannot cash in on it. The town is busy but that is down to the efforts of traders who have made the town attractive to visitors.

"We are the people who have made the town what it is and we have yet to be formally informed of the changes in car parking charges, let alone be consulted about them. If it wasn't for the Gazette and Herald we would still be in the dark."

He said that Marlborough was increasingly being seen as a cash cow by Kennet District Council and he added that local people have objected that charging for Sunday parking, as well as for parking on bank holidays, is not being introduced anywhere else in the district.

Mr Wells said: "This is all pretty shabby. We have no alternative but to approach Kennet about this. It would have been better if they had approached us."

Kennet's chief executive Mark Boden said that the changes in parking charges were designed to encourage rather than discourage shoppers by moving long-term parking to car parks further from the town centres.

He said: "There is no evidence shoppers are discouraged. Car park usage will just keep rising and we have to have the money to keep pace with it."