An East Devon councillor has given reassurances that car parking charges will not be increasing in April following concerns from the opposition Conseratives about the effects on local businesses.

Last year, for the first time in a decade, charges in the district doubled to £2 per hour in the car parks with the highest demands.

But Tory leader Cllr Philip Skinner, who represents Tale Vale, is concerned that higher parking rates are negatively impacting local businesses in the district’s major towns such as Exmouth and Sidmouth.

“As a Conservative group, we’ve got grave concerns about some of the car parking charges that have gone up, particularly in larger towns – Exmouth for example,” he said. “Ward members are telling me that car parking charges going up is having an impact on local businesses.

“And the same applies too for Sidmouth, and businesspeople in Sidmouth are really outraged that car parking charges have gone up as high as they have. So, it needs looking at, it certainly needs reviewing.

“We need to review that, we need to look at it, and I believe some of these car parking charges, especially in the towns that keep the businesses vibrant, need to be reduced.”

East Devon District Council’s finance portfolio holder, Cllr Jack Rowland Independent East Devon Alliance, Seaton), says says there will be no increases in the coming financial year.

“Not all of the car parking charges across the district have doubled; some have actually stayed the same, some have done up to £1.15. The prime and most heavily used car parks, they’re the ones that have gone up to £2 (per hour).

“As the Conservative group should remember, we’ve already agreed that there won’t be any increases this April for car parking charges, but we will be reviewing those charges next November.”