BABERGH Council decision to increase parking charges across a district is set to be formally challenged.

Cllr Paul Clover launched the challenge on Babergh District Council's decision to increase charges at all car parks owned by the authority in Sudbury, Hadleigh and Lavenham by 20 per cent.

The decision, taken earlier this month by cabinet members, came a year after free three-hour parking was scrapped and initial charges were introduced.

Cllr Clover, who has been a staunch objector since these were first proposed, said the council refused to engage with local retailers to fully understand the impact parking charges were having on their businesses.

He said: "My view is that this decision is premature and has been taken too quickly without giving due consideration to all the issues that affect our local economies."

Cabinet members said the increase was part of the council's efforts to address an £8.5 million funding gap facing the authority by the end of March 2030.

In practice, the increase meant an extra charge of between 20p and 50p for stays of one to four hours at short-stay car parks — or between two hours and all day for long-stay car parks.

For season tickets, the increase ranged from £5 to £50 for permits of between a month and a year.

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Specific arrangements for Pin Mill car park will be revisited at a later date.

But Cllr Clover, as well as several other Conservative councillors, said the increases were not proportionate to the outcome the authority wanted to achieve.

He warned rising costs would lead to fewer visitors who could not afford them and pointed to his own engagement, which suggested as many as two-thirds of town centre retailers had suffered.

His concerns have been a common criticism ever since the final decision to introduce parking charges in August 2024.

However, the council has pointed to a study carried out by the University of Suffolk, which did not find a significant impact on the uptake of the car parks.