A ROW is brewing over huge rises in parking charges in the centre of Taunton.

People who need to drive into the town centre to reach their place of work each day are set to have to fork out an extra £130 a year in car park tickets if the increases go ahead.

The rise of as much as 66 per cent has been dubbed a "Tory stealth tax" by angry LibDem opponents.

But the Conservatives have hit back at the LibDems for "robbing the piggy bank" and squandering vital cash reserves while they were running Taunton Deane Council.

Parking fees were last raised two years ago, and this time fees remain unchanged for the first hour in most of Taunton's car parks.

Long stay parking is being hit hard with designated commuter car parks facing a 33 per cent rise for an all-day ticket (from £1.50 to £2), but the largest rise is in the Castle Street coach park where a ten-hour stay goes up from £3 to £5.

The Deane's LibDem opposition leader, Cllr Ross Henley, said: "The Conservative Party set itself up as a friend of the motorist, but that has been blown apart by these increases."

But council leader Cllr John Williams said Taunton Deane's car parks would still be cheaper than parking in other districts and the increases were a result of his administration continuing the LibDems' transport strategy.

For the full story, see this week's (January 23) Somerset County Gazette.