COUNCILLORS have hit back at Cumbria County Council for 'discriminating' against Windermere and its traders with proposed differences in the cost of on-street parking charges.

Town councillors described as 'unfair' proposals to charge motorists £1.50 to park in Windermere and neighbouring Ambleside compared to £1.20 in Kendal.

"We're at a disadvantage over Kendal," said Cllr Alan Marsh. "It's unfair for traders and it's wrong to have a £1.50 charge in Windermere and not Kendal as well."

Cllr Bill Smith said Windermere was in a better position than Whitehaven where charges will come in at £1.80 per hour.

"This consultation is about some feedback so they can say they have considered," said Cllr Smith. "We've made it clear we oppose this for Bowness and Windermere.

"We need to get across how damaging this is to the economy. It's discriminating against businesses - people who work and park on the Glebe."

But Cumbria County Council said the pricing of on-street parking was directly related to the local pricing of off-street parking - determined by the district councils.

A CCC spokesperson said: "The council has agreed that on-street parking should not be cheaper than off-street, but should not be more than 20 per cent more expensive.

"This is so that drivers are encouraged to park in the off-street car parks, reducing congestion on the high street.

"If off-street parking in Windermere is more expensive than other areas, then it follows that on-street is also more expensive.”

There was also a concern among councillors that charges would encourage motorists to seek out free parking elsewhere.

Cllr Smith said: "People will migrate and try to find places that are free - that will relocate people from the Glebe which will aggravate the situation elsewhere."

However, the authority believes that the introduction may even aid the issue of congestion.

“Because on-street parking bays are currently free and the waiting periods are typically for one or two hours, it can be hard to find an available space and drivers often revert to the other options anyway," added the CCC spokesperson. “The perception of a town being ‘full’ and there being nowhere to park could actually be improved.”