A CAMPAIGN has been relaunched demanding an end to parking charges which have achieved their cash objective.

Fees were introduced for parking in Ripon's market square in the summer of 1999 with Harrogate Borough Council adamant they were needed to pay for closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras in the city. But the £200,000 bill for the surveillance system has been paid and the fees are still being collected.

City councillor Andrew Will-iams, who collected 3,000 signatures from residents, visitors and traders calling for the charges to be scrapped within weeks of their introduction, has relaunched his campaign. He has written to Harrogate council's chief executive, Mick Walsh, asking for the return of free parking.

He said: "Harrogate did not have to pay the capital cost of its CCTV cameras, and it has always seemed grossly unfair Ripon should have had to meet its costs.

"But to continue charging motorists to park after the bill has been paid is nothing short of scandalous."

Small traders in Ripon, who had endured considerable disruption during the past year from road works in the city, were in competition with shops in North-allerton and Thirsk, both towns with lots of free parking.

"In Ripon, the shops have had a difficult year and the return of some additional free spaces in Ripon can only help their cause," said Coun Williams.

"There is no justification for continuing to charge when the CCTV money has all been collected. Ripon is being ripped off," he said.