CITY councillors have called for an immediate return to one-hour parking for £1.20, as businesses report a ten per cent downturn in trade.

And the number of people adding their voices to the calls for a rethink has now topped 5,000.

At a meeting on Monday, leader Su Thorpe complained the city council was never formally consulted by Wiltshire Council about the price rises which prompted the Journal’s “See Some Sense” campaign.

All she got was one phone call from Wiltshire Cabinet member John Brady the night before the Cabinet voted through the increases.

“No way could I speak on behalf of the city council because we had not debated it,” she said.

“I did object, but the answer I got was that there are 150 on-street parking spaces.” Cllr Derek Brown described it as “desperately unfair” of Wiltshire to regard this as a consultation, and said a formal process needed to be set up.

Cllr Thorpe also pointed out that when the Salisbury area board was given a presentation about Wiltshire’s parking proposals, there was no mention of abandoning the one-hour charge and imposing a two-hour minimum rate.

Cllr Bobbie Chettleburgh warned: “Our car parks are empty. And if people aren’t coming here, Wiltshire won’t be collecting any increased revenue.”

Members also warned that motorists are choosing to park in residential streets instead, and even in the parking spaces set aside for residents of sheltered housing at Pembroke House.

The council voted to ask Wiltshire to open the park and ride for longer, from 6am to 8pm, to help city centre workers.

It is also calling for the removal of a covenant which prevents the city bringing in lower charges in its own car parks at Lush House and Southampton Road.

Journal readers are continuing to sign up to our campaign - more than 2,500 have sent in protest forms with another 100 showing their support online. In addition, a petition in the Maltings has collected more than 1,800 signatures, and 560 people have registered their protests with Spire FM.