A senior councillor has criticised “mad” proposals to introduce on-street parking charges in Shipley and Bingley after an influential committee urged the Council to re-think its plans.

Bradford Council’s Shipley Area Committee refused to support the introduction of charging shoppers for parking in the town centres at a meeting on Wednesday.

In a motion to the Council’s executive, the committee stated: “We believe the introduction of these charges will be detrimental to the economy of the towns, will reduce the economic performance of the area and lead to a loss of the vibrancy and choice within the affected communities.”

The committee also raised concerns that shoppers would use nearby residential streets to park their cars for free, causing “additional disturbance and inconvenience” and jeopardising highway safety. Committee member and Bingley Rural Tory Councillor Simon Cooke, said: “I genuinely think this idea is mad.”