Plans to end free parking in two Somerset towns and charge people to park based on how polluting their car is has been dubbed a “tax on the poor” by a local councillor.

Midsomer Norton’s South Road car park and the Church Street and Waterloo Road car parks in Radstock are all currently free places to park near the town centres.

Now Bath and North East Somerset Council is consulting on plans to start charging people to park there, on the same basis as the “emissions based charges” people pay in Bath’s car parks.

But, speaking at a full meeting of Bath and North East Somerset Council on Thursday, July 18, Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North, Independent) warned councillors: “Emissions based charges are a tax on the poor, people who can’t afford the latest electric vehicle or the latest fuel efficient vehicles.”

Under the plans, parking at the car parks would be free for the first half hour. Two hours parking would cost 80p for electric vehicles and the least polluting non-diesel cars, but diesel cars and cars producing higher carbon emissions will be charged extra — with two hours’ parking costing the most polluting diesel cars 50p more. The charges would apply from 8am to 6pm Monday to Saturday.

If information on how much carbon is emitted cannot be obtained, the parking fee will be determined by the capacity of the engine. The proposed charges would come into force in October and rise next year.

Emissions based parking was first introduced to tackle air quality issues in Bath last year, But Mr Hughes said there is no evidence of such air quality issues in the Midsomer Norton area.

He said: “This scheme will move traffic out to out of town shopping that has free parking and increase vehicle movements. Displacement of vehicles and lack of footfall will have a devastating impact on our businesses — particularly those small independents that rely on single item purchases and visits — and will inevitably end up in some closures of some of these small businesses.

“Although this was proposed in the February budget, there’s still no parking surveys, there’s no impact assessments, there’s no financial viability reports, there’s no financial justification, there’s no air quality assessments, there’s absolutely no understanding of the severe impact this will cause to our town.

“The serious losses to our high street would certainly outweigh any tiny gains to your £14m income from parking charges.”

Ending free parking in the Midsomer Norton and Radstock car parks is part of a wider set of updates to parking charges through which the council hopes to make £195,000 a year.

The plans will also mean motorcyclists will need to pay to park. Mr Hughes, a keen motorcyclist, said: “In pretty much every city in the world, motorbikes and scooters are seen to be part of the solution, helping to reduce congestion, pollution, and parking issues.”

The consultation on the plans runs until August 8. You can respond to the consultation and see more details here: https://beta.bathnes.gov.uk/parkingchargereview