HIGHER car parking charges will destroy Bolton's town centre shops, traders fear.

Figures reveal that Bolton already has the second most expensive car parking in Greater Manchester with only Manchester charging more.

And today the Bolton Evening News joins forces with town centre retailers urging the town's civic leaders to reject a recommendation to increase the parking charges on council owned car parks by an inflation busting seven per cent from April.

We want shoppers and town centre workers to complete our coupon printed today so that we can present the council with a protest dossier.

In Bolton on the Folds Road council car park a three hour stay costs £1.80 but in Bury, people can park for three hours for just 70p and shop at its modern Mill Gate Shopping Centre.

And just short drives away are Manchester's Trafford Centre and Middlebrook, on the outskirts of Bolton, where parking is free and where Astley Bridge Tory councillor Stuart Lever believes most people will head.

He said: "People are not coming to Bolton any more, so quite why this Council is even thinking of increasing the fees is beyond me. But then again this Council could not even run a tap so perhaps I am not that surprised.

"The simple fact is, increasing charges will not necessarily lead to extra cash because people will stay away. If they reduce charges, more will come and that's bound to boost revenue."

He added: "I bet the traders at the Trafford Centre will be rubbing their hands with glee."

As an example of the impact it will have, a shopper, or office worker, parking all day on the town centre's Pool Street North will pay £2.44 instead of £2.30.

If they are working in the town, that increase will cost employees an extra £33 a year, if around 20 days holiday are taken into account.

Councillors, however, get free car parking paid for by the taxpayer. There are EIGHTY spaces available for the town's 60 councillors. Chief council officers are also exempt from paying.

The reason for the increase in charges is to help raise £45,000 to cover budget shortfalls in departments other than parking.

Ian Taylor, head of car parking, said: "We do not want people to be put off from coming to Bolton. Free parking on a Sunday will remain and indeed we altered the terms of that recently to increase free Sunday pay-and-display parking."

Traders are among the most vocal of groups opposing the proposed parking increase and a strong campaign is gathering momentum.

Andrew Dickson, president of the Bolton Bury Chamber of Commerce said: "There are so many different parties trying to encourage people to visit the town centre and this would be hugely detrimental to their efforts.

"We need more spaces for cars and I believe building more car parks would be a far more effective way of increasing revenue."

With boarded up shops across the town, many people are concerned that a hike in price will lead to people shopping elsewhere. That would lead to lower profits and possibly more closures.

Malcolm Pickering, owner of The Four Seasons, on Bridge Street, Bolton, said: "Any rise is just suicidal. They are just killing trade in the town centre. We get people in here all the time complaining about the prices and that proves costly for businesses.

"High parking rates help no one because now people are going to Middlebrook and the Trafford Centre.

"We are constantly speaking to the Council about this and all they have offered is free Sunday parking. It is not good enough."

His wife Brenda added: "Bury is much smaller but if you look at it now, they are expanding and people go there because parking is cheaper."

Yet Cllr Guy Harkin, executive member for the environment, said he did not believe the increases would hit town centre trade.

He said parking charges at council car parks were now so low that private parking companies were threatening to leave the town as they were unable to compete.

Cllr Harkin added: "The council is under real pressure to increase its fees from commercial car parking firms who are saying they are not making a rate of return.

"We do not want to be left with run down seedy car parks because the private firms have pulled out.

"I believe the right way forward is to penalise long stay parkers and to subsidise short stay for people coming into the town for the shopping experience."