BUSINESS owners fighting increased parking charges in Bradford’s struggling ‘top of town’ have welcomed the support of a scrutiny committee.

Bradford Council is trying to increase its revenues in the wake of budget cuts and its Executive this month decided to extend the times that motorists have to pay for on-street parking in the city centre.

Now businesses from the ‘top of town’, who had argued that the area should be excluded from parking fee hikes, have welcomed the decision of a scrutiny committee to send the matter back to the Executive for a re-think.

Les Hall, owner of the Sparrow Bier Cafe in North Parade, said today: “I think it’s good that they have sent it back. It sounds like they’re listening to us.”

He said the top of town “can be pretty quiet” and businesses were worried that increased charges would hit trade.

Val Summerscales, secretary of the Chamber of Trade, added: “It was our concern that it was the wrong time to be doing this.”

Under the changes, parking charges would apply from 8am to 6pm six days a week, rather than the current 10am to 4.30pm.

The Council’s environment and waste overview and scrutiny committee had discussed the issue at its meeting on Tuesday evening.

Keith Wildman, of the Record Cafe in North Parade, told the committee it was “a tough place to operate”, and said the parking charges should not be changed.

He said: “It just goes against everything, all the regeneration that people are trying to do.”

Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, who leads on highways matters at Bradford Council, said the move would bring Bradford’s parking fee times in line with all other authorities in West Yorkshire.

He said it would also make the system “run a bit more efficiently” by encouraging people who work in nearby businesses to park elsewhere, such as in car parks, freeing up the on-street spaces for shoppers.

But committee member Councillor Andrew Thornton (Lab, Royds) asked why they hadn’t instead looked at restricting the length of time someone could park for.

Officers said this would be too difficult to enforce.

Fellow committee member Councillor Ralph Berry (Lab, Wibsey) responded: “I have to say I would like to live in a world where my manager tells me I shouldn’t do something because it’s too difficult. I don’t live in that world.”

He said the Council should be wary of “the law of unintended consequences”.

Conservative group leader Councillor Simon Cooke, who had triggered the scrutiny process, claimed traders had not been listened to.

He said: “The legitimate concerns of businesses have essentially been dismissed.”

The committee referred the matter back to the Executive for a re-think.

The Executive will consider the matter at its next meeting, at City Hall at 10.30am on Tuesday.

Council bosses have already backed down from plans to scrap the free parking on Sundays in five 'top of town' streets - North Parade, Northgate, Rawson Road, Godwin Street and Darley Street.