A ROW has broken out over charging for parking in one of the region’s most historic town centres.

The idea of charging to park in Yarm, near Stockton, has rumbled on for two years, but a meeting between council officials and community leaders on Friday, ahead of a forthcoming crucial vote, has led to a heated debate.

Jason Hadlow, Mayor of Yarm, accused Stockton Borough Council of only being interested in taking £1.5m a year out of Yarm and said the authority had no intention of addressing the parking issues.

But councillor Mike Smith, Stockton council’s cabinet member for transport, hit back saying Yarm Town Council had been given “every opportunity” to take part in a parking review, but had not always done so.

Stockton council’s parking strategy will be discussed at a cabinet meeting on December 8, and the strategy also looks at the issue of parking in Thornaby, Stockton and Billingham.

However, the strongest opposition to new parking charges has come from Yarm where shoppers can park for free. Both the town council and local chamber of commerce have objected.

Councillor Hadlow, who met Richard McGuckin, Stockton council’s head of technical services on Friday, quoted a survey published last month by Nems Market Research.

He said: “The survey said only a one or two per cent change in parking habits could affect people’s livelihoods.

The council has no intention of pro-actively addressing the parking issues in Yarm. Rather, their interest is the pursuance of some £1.5m of parking fees and fines from visitors to Yarm.”

However, Coun Smith said Coun Hadlow and other members of the town council had had plenty of opportunity to give their opinion in various consultations.

He said: “If you look at the figures, over half the car parking spaces are taken up by people who work in Yarm. If you look at how much the visitor spends it’s more than £70 a visit. If we can free up those places it could benefit the whole economy.”

Details of how much the authority will charge, if the plan is approved, will not be decided or discussed until after the idea of charging is agreed in principle.