THE people of Salisbury delivered a unanimous message to Wiltshire Council bosses over the parking fiasco last night.

At a special area board meeting they called for the immediate return of a one-hour charge of £1.20 and a cut in the two-hour charge to £2.

Cabinet member John Brady warned them that it would create “a £1million funding issue” for the council.

The board accepted that it would be hard to fund the move but said next time Wiltshire is setting a budget it should consult local people earlier in the process.

The council’s deputy leader John Thomson said he had “got the message” and it would be relayed to leader Jane Scott before she meets city business leaders on Monday to work out what to do next.

It was suggested that the simplest solution, which could be brought in quickly while the council goes through the lengthy legal processes required to change the charging band structure, would be to cut the two-hour charge to £1.20 for the time being.

The 100-strong audience at South Wilts Grammar School voted by a show of hands.

There was almost no support for Wiltshire’s idea of a redemption scheme whereby traders subsidise their customers’ parking.