A fight back has begun to reclaim Helston's car parks for the town.

The town council has vowed to open talks with Cornwall Council about taking control of Helston's car parks, to keep the cost down for residents, and demanded to know exactly "how much" it will take to make this a reality.

Councillor Mike Thomas said: "I think we need to take back the car parks for the town. The town wants to own them and set the tariff accordingly, and provide enforcement as well.

"I would urge that within the letter the town clerk writes to Cornwall Council, that under the devolution talks we could revisit the possibility of these car parks coming back to town council control. How much do they want [for them]?

"This problem will come back all the time until we can get a car park in the name of Helston Town Council."

Councillor Dave Potter said he had also be thinking of how to support Helston's shoppers and residents, explaining: "I will be looking at an aspiration to push for free at point of use parking for all the car parks that are owned by [Cornwall] council, for some of the days of the week."

He acknowledged that money would have to be paid to make up the loss to Cornwall Council but said: "It would give us a head start."

It all stems from a row over a proposed increase in short-stay parking fees for the town's Cornwall Council car parks - plus the introduction of a £1 evening charge, set to hit the pockets of town centre residents without access to parking.

Councillor John Boase said: "In this town, especially in the town centre, we have a lot of shops with property over the top. Cornwall Council hasn't thought it through. Parking is going to go elsewhere in the town."

Mr Thomas wanted to see a freeze in the existing parking tariff, adding: "I can't see any way which they can justify £1 per night. I personally think the current charges themselves are too high for our town and they should come down, but that's unlikely to happen, so I think they should be frozen."

Councillor Tim Grattan-Kane agreed: "I think the imposition of an evening charge is an attempt to kill all small businesses in town. They say the very limited amount of business they have is after 4pm, when people come to use that free hour.

"I think the small businesses should be up in arms, because they're not competing with the big businesses out of town."

Members were unanimous in their agreement that town clerk Chris Dawson write to Cornwall Council, asking that instead of the proposed changes the existing tariff is frozen and requesting a discussion over passing the car parks into town council control.

The unitary authority also has opposition from its own members, with both Judith Haycock and Andrew Wallis stating their upset over the proposals, which are to be voted on early next year.

Mr Wallis said he had written to the council and would do "everything in his power" to stop the changes, while Mrs Haycock said she was "disappointed" to see the suggestion of a £1 evening fee.

"I've asked the question to see if they've actually looked at how many people use the car parks in the evening - it's not that many. All it will do is drive people into the residential areas already chock-a-block, or people will park in the town," she added.