Ending free parking in two towns will “unfairly affect the poorest” and is like something the Sheriff of Nottingham would do, one councillor has warned.

A bid to stop new parking charges in Midsomer Norton and Radstock was voted down at a full meeting of Bath and North East Somerset Council on November 21.

The council will now introduce parking charges to the currently free Church Road and Waterloo Road car parks, Radstock, and the South Street car park, Midsomer Norton, in January.

The new charges will be “emissions-based” where cars are charged an additional amount based on how polluting the engine is. This policy is in use in council car parks in Bath but rolling it out to the Somer Valley towns has been controversial.

Shaun Hughes (Midsomer Norton North, Independent) told the council meeting: “The emissions based charges are, as I have said before, a tax on the poor, putting an additional charge on people who can’t afford the latest electric vehicle, the latest fuel efficient vehicle. These people work primarily in low income jobs — they work in hospitality, they work in retail. But these are the people who need to be able to park all day.”

Eleanor Jackson (Westfield, Labour) added: “We are going to see this unjust charge unfairly affect the poorest people who can’t afford to get a posh electric car.

“I think we are going to need that great Yorkshireman again, Robin Hood, because he contested the system of taxing the poor and the money being carried off by the wealthy, the Sheriff of Nottingham.”

Introducing a motion to suspend the introduction of the parking charges, Mr Hughes said: “The reason this motion is here is because our businesses and their staff are genuinely in fear of losing their livelihoods.

“A lot of our residents struggle not to be stranded and isolated through the lack of public transport.”

Seconding the motion, Tim Warren (Midsomer Norton Redfield, Conservative) warned the council the charges might not even make it any money.

Cabinet member for highways at B&NES Councillor Manda Rigby (Bathwick, Liberal Democrat), said: “We acknowledge each of our areas within Bath and North East Somerset is unique.

“We therefore spent time and money consulting to be able to amend our proposals in the light of feedback. Unlike any other area in B&NES, in the light of listening to feedback there will be two free hours parking provided in Midsomer Norton and Radstock and a 25 per cent reduction to the proposed hourly charge.

“This reduces the financial impact of the proposals on the motorists using the council car parks while offsetting the costs of running them to the council and the residents.”

She said giving people two hours of free parking would cost the council £31k, which it hopes to recover through increased car park use.

Mr Hughes said: “This is going to do irreversible harm to our economy in Midsomer Norton without any justifiable benefits.”

The motion to suspend the introduction of the charges was voted down by 29 votes to 16.