COUNCILLORS are appealing that a free car park in Wellington is handed over to the town council to manage.

Cash-strapped Somerset Council is currently making a review of charges at car parks across the county although it has recently decided against looking at making people pay for overnight parking between 6pm and 8am.

The council still plans to make people pay to use all car parks on a Sunday and start to impose charges for car parks which are currently free to use.

Wellington Town Council met on Monday (March 3) where they were disappointed the review was looking to coin-in on council taxpayers further.

“Although Somerset Council is no longer looking at overnight parking, it is still looking to introduce Sunday charging and charging in the free car park in Springfield Road in Wellington,” said Cllr John Thorne.

“They’ve been saying that they want to ensure that the car parks continue to be self-financing. But they don’t run at a loss in any case – so basically they are going to be even more self-financing than they are now.”

“If Somerset Council gave Springfield Road car park to Wellington Town Council they wouldn’t have any costs at all.”

Somerset Council wants all of its car parks to be standardised in terms of charges as different rates currently apply to many of its car parks across the county.

But Cllr Thorne said it was wrong to be putting all towns and car parks in the same bracket, and said: “We haven’t got lots of tourists coming in like Cheddar, Wells or Glastonbury.”

Cllr Keith Wheatley, who has been campaigning for improvements made to car parks in Wellington, said that perhaps Somerset Council could look at improving car park signage, bay markings and road surfaces before looking at reviewing an increase in charges.

Town clerk Dave Farrow is to investigate further.