YET again the council has come up with a decision to rip the heart out of our town centre by proposing parking charges which will only encourage people to visit the out-of-town shopping centres instead of supporting our local shops and businesses.

Perhaps if they had saved the monies from their new chairs, fleet of cars and ridiculous 'street art' in Thompson street this suggestion would never have surfaced.

I work in the NHS and my chair is so old, that I have two cushions on it to make it slightly more comfortable throughout the day. (These cushions I bought myself).

I also have to pay daily car parking charges when I come into work. This is currently £1.05 per day. Doesn't sound a lot, but add that up over a year full-time working, and multiply by the 14 years I have paid it and it certainly mounts up.

Do the council staff pay for their car parking - why should they be treated any differently - this would surely be an untapped source of income?

Frustrated local resident