BABERGH Council has agreed to look at free parking in a bid to 'protect the health and vibrancy' of its high streets.

The decision follows concerns over the impact of parking charges introduced by Babergh District Council in its Hadleigh, Lavenham and Sudbury car parks in January last year.

Cllr Deborah Saw, the authority's leader, said the charges had been 'proportionate' and stressed they should have been introduced earlier in the face of financial challenges.

"We believe that this was the right decision to take, and it's been proven by all the metrics," she said.

The charges, which received a 20 per cent hike earlier today – between 20p and 50p – were brought on to help the council address its financial gap of more than £8 million.

A report on their impact a year after being introduced was discussed by the authority's overview and scrutiny committee earlier today.

It showed the changes had not only netted the council just under £890,000 since April last year, but also turned drivers who abused the system into paying customers and made enforcement much simpler.

At least 90 customers are said to have abused the system each day by obtaining multiple free stays.

However, during the meeting, councillors repeated their ongoing concerns that the charges were hurting businesses in the high street.

Cllr Paul Clover, the member for Lavenham, said: "Our moral duty as councillors is to protect the health and vibrancy of our high street, and I have real concerns here whether this model is sustainable."

According to a separate report, discussed in January, findings from the University of Suffolk saw no impact on footfall, dwell time and money spent in the high street since the charges were implemented.

Nevertheless, the committee still instructed the council to look at a range of schemes relating to parking, including vouchers – paid for by businesses to offer customers free or discounted parking – and a free period.

Cllr Kathryn Grandon, the member for Hadleigh, said the council should be looking at supporting the economy.

"I would like to see something that Babergh does to constructively support our high streets," she said, "and something to do with parking might help."

Cllr Saw said the authority was 'perfectly willing' to discuss schemes but stressed the council could not afford to take money out of its reserves.

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