STRUGGLING traders are urging Redbridge Council to slash the cost of parking after it was given the freedom to set its own charges.

The Government, in an attempt to encourage people to shop locally, has abolished the minimum charge which it forced councils to set for car parks and on-street bays.

Council-owned car parks in Wanstead and Woodford currently cost motorists 70p an hour, rising to £4.50 for more than three hours, rates which shopkeepers believe are deterring customers.

John Russell, manager of the Oxfam shop on South Woodford High Road, has seen his trade collapse since parking charges were introduced last year at the health centre opposite.

He said: “There's only two shops to browse in this parade, me and the camera shop. But if the parking is too expensive then they won't bother.

“I've already lost several volunteers because they don't want to pay the parking charges.

“Redbridge are not going to do anything about it. They're killing us down here."

Mehmet Suleyman, 41, who runs Whistle and Flute dry cleaners in South Woodford High Road, said: “Hopefully they will take notice, but I can't really see it. It's extra revenue for them after all.

“They shouldn't be waiting for the Government to make these changes. They should be finding a way to help us out. We're the ratepayers.”

Iain Wicks, chairman of the Essex Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Now the decision on parking charges rests with local councils they have no excuse to hide behind when they impose high charges rather than support their local shops.”

But with increased parking charges already identified by the council as a means to help bridge its £25 million funding gap, the council may be reluctant to make use of its new-found freedom.

A spokeswoman for Redbridge Council said: “The council notes the flexibility indicated in the Government's announcement this week regarding parking issues and will be considering the implications further.

“A strategic parking review is currently in progress which will include examination of on-street parking facilities and charges around the borough's town centre areas.”