I FIRST became aware of the Cornwall Council suggestion to start charging in car parks that were currently free all year round, or free in the winter, on December 18 and was provided with a list of car parks that were being considered for the introduction of charges.

I noticed that Fowey, Tywardreath and Par had the most car parks under scrutiny, with five in total, two of which were free in the winter, two of which were free all year, and one that involved changes to motorhome regulations.

I was advised a public consultation would start in January. On January 14, I notified Cllr Dan Rogerson, the portfolio holder for transport, that I, my parish councils and my residents opposed the idea of changes.

I raised the issue of the public consultation at a council meeting on January 20 where I asked Cllr Rogerson, “when the results are known, will Cornwall Council listen to the views of the people or just ignore them?”. The answer was non-committal.

When the public consultation ended, I asked for a meeting to discuss the results. This meeting never happened.

The result of the consultation was not surprising with 85 per cent against.

At the Cornwall Council cabinet meeting on March 18, I attended to once again object to the imposition of winter charges.

However, the cabinet unanimously voted in favour of implementing the new charges. It makes you wonder why a public consultation was held in the first place.

Whilst Cllr Rogerson proposed the changes, the cabinet must take the final responsibility for imposing them.

I am disappointed but not surprised. The public consultation was a box ticking exercise in my opinion. They were always going to make the changes regardless of what the public said.

I can be contacted via [email protected]