PEOPLE who live or work in Skipton are likely to have to bear the burden of spiralling parking charges.

Craven District Council's car parking panel this week proposed to increase non-residents' parking permits from £200 to £250 and residents' unlimited permits from £50 to £75.

However, it is suggesting only a small rise in the cost of residents' limited permits.These are set to increase from £15 to £16 because these people are shoppers and "commercially viable", stated the chairman Coun Marcia Turner.

However, these permits would be limited to one three-hour stay, in one car park, per day.

Coun Turner said that she had received a letter from a Victoria Street resident, complaining he had difficulty parking because unlimited residents' permits had increased by over 1,000 per cent in five years.

In response, she said the car park was not there to be used as a garage space.

Coun Phil Barrett, who was not there as a member of the panel, said that increasing the cost of parking permits too much would push motorists on to the streets.

But, Coun Paul Whitaker added: "It is not our place to provide car parking for commercial people coming into town. The policy is to provide car parking for tourists and shoppers. If you are parking all day then you should pay for it."

He was supported by Coun David Heather, who added: "The policy is to reduce long term use of the car parks."

Head of finance Vince Green pointed out to members that the council was subsidising every resident permit holder by £625 a year. He said if they parked for a full day at £3, five days a week for a full year without a permit it would cost them £700, and they were only being asked for £75.

Coun Turner said some of the parking permits were being paid by employers anyway, and the council was trying to discourage these people from parking in its car parks all day.

The panel is also trying to dissuade people from parking all day in Skipton's High Street car park by making all stays over four hours £4.

Elsewhere in the town, a £3 tariff for stays over four hours was recommended for Cavendish and Coach Street, with a similar charge proposed for Ashfield and Whitefriars in Settle.

The panel said the charge at Ingleton and Greenfoot, Settle, should be capped at £2.50,

The reasoning behind this was to reduce the number of long stay parkers, especially in Skipton High Street car park.

Coun Helen Firth said: "The average tourist would not stay more than four hours."

The panel also decided to recommend putting up the one hour charge in all Skipton car parks from 50p to 60p.

Members decided that it made more sense as the charge for two hours was already £1.20.

No final decision was made on the tariffs for coaches, although members indicated that a one hour stay should start at £2.20.

Car park attendants, who were present at the meeting, said that a lot of coach operators had already boycotted Skipton because of the parking prices and said that if they were pushed up too much more would be lost.

All these proposals will have to be confirmed by Craven District Council's policy and resources committee.