A 'last-ditch' effort to stop controversial parking charges in a Suffolk district has been successful.

Members of Babergh's overview and scrutiny committee formally reviewed the cabinet's decision earlier this month to scrap free three-hour parking in Sudbury, Hadleigh, and Lavenham.

The decision was 'called in' — effectively meaning its validity was formally questioned — by a cross-party group led by Cllr Simon Dowling as a last-ditch effort to retain free parking for at least an hour.

Listen to Cllr Dowling: https://record.reverb.chat/s/Z7Fl3TblEEEppQgC2nPP

Cllr Dowling said: "Every counterfactual view has been discounted. It's clear the town and parish councils all have strong legitimate reasons to disagree with the proposal.

"We believe that the concession of a shorter free period would satisfy many of the objectors to the proposals as they currently stand."

Following a discussion lasting over two hours, the committee unanimously decided the cabinet decision had not been properly carried out. This means it will be reconsidered by Babergh's cabinet during the next available meeting at which point, if approved, it can't be called in again.

Cllr Michael Holt said the cabinet had failed to be transparent by considering a one-hour free parking option during an informal meeting, effectively behind closed doors.

He added: "The public never got to see it, they were never able to watch cabinet discuss that option — transparency was all we needed and yet we failed to deliver that."

Addressing this, acting leader Cllr John Ward argued the cabinet had followed the usual procedure.

He said: "I refute the allegation that we didn't discuss it, the cabinet debated this particular subject in detail, nothing took place behind closed doors.

"This matter has received extensive consideration and thought even if we don't all agree with the result."

The decision to part ways with free parking was reached in a bid to offset part of the £6.7m budget gap predicted over the next three years.

During the earlier meeting, Cllr John Ward said a failure to address parking charges in past years meant the council could no longer pick up the £427,000 bill.

Listen to Cllr Ward: https://record.reverb.chat/s/RjZ2Ql5qVNc3xnpMKteq

The extra money raised through parking is expected to leave the budget better off by nearly £1.9 million over the next three years.

This has proved controversial, however, receiving criticism from several parish and district councillors as well as residents, with a petition reaching nearly 9,000 validated signatures.

The backlash spawned from worries that parking charges would be detrimental to local businesses, discouraging visitors from driving into town, something Cllr Ward refuted.

He said: "There is no evidence that businesses fail as a result of very modest car parking charges — it depends on what their offer is."

In a late letter sent in by Great Cornrad Parish Council, Emma Skuce, the council's manager, said the parish council had not been consulted and accused the district council of having predetermined the decision to introduce the charges.

It also warned the parish council was considering submitting a formal complaint to the Government and Social Care Ombudsman, labelling the consultation as disingenuous and a mockery.

Cllr Dowling added: "This is about local democracy, the people who have elected us and pay council tax are entitled to be consulted and we must listen to what we're told, and that hasn't happened in this case."

Cllr Ward said: "This meeting is not about whether we are right, it's about whether cabinet took account of everything we should have — we did pay attention and did everything asked of us."

The changes, as proposed, would see a £1 charge for one hour in short-stay parking — capped at four hours — and two hours for a long stay, increasing by 50p increments for each additional hour.

A reduction to the cost of all-day parking in Sudbury and Hadleigh from £3 to £2.50 is also part of the proposals — this would include parking in Great Eastern Road (Roys) and Magdalen Road, which will change to long-stay parking.

These are expected to take around six months to deliver, coming into effect from October.

The next cabinet meeting will take place on May 7.