FREE car parking for people living in the Yorkshire Dales National Park is to come to an end from April.

Instead, residents will be charged £30 a year - the equivalent of 58p a week - to park in any of the Dales' 11 car parks and the income will be ploughed back into the services provided by the park authority.

Members of the finance and resources committee voted on Monday to end free parking permits for residents.

However, the move did not prove popular with member Cecil Hammond, of Skyreholme, who pointed out that Grassington shopkeepers and businesses were already up in arms about the proposed removal of A-boards and signs.

He told the Herald: "To introduce car park charges for local residents, possibly discouraging local people from coming to Grassington for shops, the bank or Post Office, could exacerbate the situation.

"Motorists will park on streets and road-sides, making it difficult for delivery and other vehicles to pass."

He added that free passes should be available to local residents to compensate for the nuisance and annoyance caused by visitors.

But members decided to issue free permits only in exceptional circumstances on a case-by-case basis where a resident had no alternative on-street or off-street parking and could only use a national park car park.

The meeting heard that Craven District Council currently charged £20 a year for three hours a day and £100 for a long stay permit.

The North York Moors National Park charged £25 a year but residents were restricted to one nominated car park, while people living in the Lake District National Park paid £300 for any car at one car park. Richmondshire District Council has a £40 pass available to residents and non-residents.

Committee chairman Ann Brooks said: "It is a decision that was made with regret but, with the financial circumstances being as they are, we have to look at ways of generating income.

"We have been asked by the auditors to re-examine our sources of revenue in the light of the fact our grant settlements are expected to be frozen for the next three years.

"By allowing parking in all the national park car parks we have retained flexibility for residents."

Currently, businesses and visitors are charged £75 for an annual permit but residents pay nothing.

"It should be more in proportion to what everyone else is expected to pay," said member Andrew Osborne.

Another member, Carl Lis, who is also the park's chairman, said: "The days of the national park having the luxury of being able to afford to provide free permits for residents is over. I believe we need to bite the bullet and say 'Sorry, but our funding issues are so significant that we have to adopt this policy'."

Jon Avison, the authority's head of park management, said free parking permits were introduced in 1985.

He added: "Obviously, in the 21 years since the introduction, demands for and costs of providing services to national park residents and visitors have increased and finances are suffering from tighter restraints.

"When you consider that the cost of an annual parking permit for businesses and visitors to the national park is £75, and visitors without permits pay about £3 a day, residents will be getting extremely good value for money.

"The Government is exhorting us to generate as much income as we can out of our assets and free parking for a selected group only is unfair in today's society.

"It costs a significant amount to run the facilities and this charge of £30 will generate income that will provide more money to be spent on looking after the area and attracting visitors who will boost the local economy."