Nearly 4,000 people have backed a call to restore one hour’s free parking in Wiltshire Council’s car parks. This was scrapped by the council’s Conservative-run Cabinet in 2011.

As the council’s countywide consultation on parking ended on Friday, Chippenham’s LibDem MP Duncan Hames presented the council with a petition signed by 3,750 people.

In January last year, Conservative prospective MP Michelle Donelan launched a campaign to reduce town centre parking charges. She will stand against Mr Hames and Labour’s Andy Newman in May’s general election.

She surveyed 8,000 homes in Chippenham and had thousands of replies. Nearly three-quarters of respondents, 72 per cent, said some free parking should be introduced.

This week the council said around 4,800 residents and businesses had had their say on plans to change the car parking policy, in a review started in the autumn.

The responses are to be analysed over the next few weeks. The outcome could see a move away from charges based on four bands, to options based on the use and location of each car park.

Cllr John Thomson, cabinet member for sustainable transport, said: “I’d like to thank everyone for taking the time to respond to our consultation.

“There are many factors to consider. It’s a tough balance to achieve but we’re going to make every effort to put a strategy in place that reflects local circumstances.”