Cornwall Council is proposing a 3.1 per cent increase in car parking charges along with several other changes.

The council also hopes to prohibit overnight camping in motorhomes in more car parks and introduce a tier structure for costs of reserved permits.

Full details of the proposals can be found on the Council’s website and comments can be submitted up to 01 February 2019.

Cornwall Council cabinet portfolio holder for transport Geoff Brown said: “The proposal to increase charges will see some rates rise by 10p or 20p but with many staying the same.

"Income from car parking will enable us to continue making the best use of our resources and target funding to help maintain Cornwall's 7,300km road network."

Richard Gates, Falmouth town manager, and Richard Wilcox, Falmouth BID manager, said in a statement: “On behalf of the Falmouth Town Team (a partnership between Town Management at Falmouth Town Council and the Falmouth Business Improvement District), it is a big step forward to work constructively with Cornwall Council in developing a more balanced tariff structure for the town.

"While we would like to see further reductions to pricing in the future, this significant first step can allow us to achieve that by directly influencing the individual tariffs as long as the projected income targets for Cornwall Council can be achieved. We have looked in detail at every car park in Falmouth, as well as all the time slots to see if we can make improvements, offset by a nominal evening charge. A traders meeting at the end of last year unanimously supported our proposals for a more fair and balanced approach.”

Geoff Brown went on to say: "Cornwall’s roads are some of the best in the country with the Council rated as amongst the top 25 per cent in the country for keeping our main roads in good repair. Without the income from car parking charges, the Council would need to increase council tax to generate the same amount of funding.

"Whilst we receive about £9.7 million net income from parking each year, Cornwall Council is spending £45 million on maintaining the condition and safety of Cornwall’s roads and 2,700 bridges and retaining walls, as well as the car parks themselves.”

Cornwall’s Positive Parking Framework is set to be a benchmark standard for local authorities who, like Cornwall Council, have aligned their parking policies and operations to the Positive Parking Agenda, a national initiative supported and assisted by the British Parking Association.