THE first hour of free parking looks set to return to car parks across north Wiltshire if the new Conservative council can convince local businesses to pay for it.

Council officers are working on a plan to raise enough money from traders and town councils to reinstate the free period.

The policy of charging motorists for the first hour was met with condemnation when it was introduced before the election.

Traders have reported a drop in business and say there are fewer customers shopping in their stores, and motorists bemoan yet another financial imposition while searching for free parking in residential roads.

In Corsham more than 5,000 people signed a petition against the introduction of the charge and Ian Storey, president of the Chamber of Commerce, says it has damaged trade in the town. The previous authority took a joint decision to introduce charges of 30p and 50p for the first hour in car parks across the district.

It did this to raise enough money to pay to keep four of the leisure centres in north Wiltshire open.

The new leader of the district council Cllr Dick Tonge and his cabinet have inherited this £550,000 financial problem and while they may want to remove the unpopular parking charge they cannot do so until they find the money elsewhere.

With this is mind the lead Conservative member for the built environment including car parks, Cllr Chuck Berry, is putting together a plan with council officers.

He said: "There are a number of proposals on the table including selling advertising on the back of the parking tickets.

"What we are looking at is getting each town to raise a fair proportion of the £550,000. The local council's will be asked for some of the money but the rest will have to come from local businesses.

"In Corsham for instance we need to raise an additional £34,000 in order to bring back the free parking for the first hour.

"We are in talks with the town council, the owner of the Martingate Centre, Bill Hall, and Somerfield supermarket to discuss raising the money.

"We hope the other towns in the district will take up the proposal to raise the extra cash to bring back the free hour but we've got a long way to go and nothing is finalised."

Cllr Tonge said: "We have discussed various options and there will be further discussion at the executive meeting on Thursday.

"The Corsham petition will also be discussed. Unfortunately the last council introduced the charges, which has created difficulties for traders. We understand those difficulties but we are trapped in a box."