IN a letter from Wiltshire Council received recently I discovered that less than £4,000 was made from Warminster car parks last year. It now seems that this financial year a loss will be made across Wiltshire. Warminster’s ever-supportive town council has set aside £12,000 (three times last year’s net profit) to help the town centre.

As an avid campaigner against parking charges for the last decade some of you may recall that 10 years ago I predicted that Warminster would suffer a loss of retail shops, especially small specialist shops such as our independent fishmonger, due to parking charges. I leave the reader to his or her own conclusion.

Central Government has now said that parking fees are adding to the problems of town centre commerce and are intending removing rules imposed by John Prescott in 2001 which forced local councils to charge for parking. Just one example of fiscal incompetence seen between 1997 and 2010.

In light of impending legislation I ask Wiltshire Council to withdraw all parking charges from Warminster with immediate effect. If this is not done now there will be precious little to protect and therefore even less parking revenue than now.

MARK BRASSINGTON Jacqueline’s Bistro High Street Warminster