WHAT you said about the planned parking charge increases:

Anita Jones, of Oakenbottom Road, Bolton: "Bolton town centre is becoming a 'ghost town', with many business closing down or relocating to retail parks due to high council taxes and falling trade. If car parking charges are increased without a reasonably cheap and adequate public transport system this will sound the death knell for Bolton."

Gillian Brockbank, of Hope Fold Avenue, Atherton: "Does Bolton Council want to drive potential customers away from the shops of Bolton? People will take one look at the cost of parking in Bolton for a few hours and will go elsewhere, or go and park in side streets."

D. Felton, Bury Road, Breightmet: "Parking charges in Bolton are already more expensive that other towns in the area and, with free parking at Middlebrook and Trafford Centre, we now rarely go shopping in our own town centre."

Damien Corcoran, Jesmond, Newcastle-upon-Tyne: "Bolton has lost lots of trade to the Trafford Centre, as can be seen from the empty shops on Oxford Street, and these car park charges do not help keep shoppers local."

Barbara Winder, Beaumont Chase, Bolton: "I used to go regularly into Bolton to shop at weekends, but now only go on Sundays because then I don't have problems parking and paying. On Saturdays and weekday evenings I tend to use Middlebrook -- free parking."

Rick Healey, Hazeldene, Westhoughton: "Where are the extra funds generated going to go? It's obvious that lots of shoppers steer clear of Bolton and go to the Trafford Centre."