Mr Cairns said: “Council tax payers in Barry will find it hard to understand how charging up to £5 to park close to our high streets is going to help regenerate Barry and support Cowbridge. Encouraging trade should be the main objective when regenerating out towns, not seeing them as a cash cow.
“I believe a unique parking plan can be found that best supports our high streets in Barry, but what we appear to have is arbitrary charges with the stated aim of maximising cash for the local authority. The local authority has raised council tax bills for residents by 15% in just 3 years, to then ask drivers to dig deep again just to go out and buy a pint of milk is unacceptable.
“The implementation of this £30k report by Capita has been badly planned and badly timed by the Cabinet without the due consideration of traders.
“I have invited High Streets Minister Marcus Jones MP to visit the Vale of Glamorgan to see what impact these proposals could have on Barry and Cowbridge. A 10 minute free grace period for drivers is being implemented in many areas around the country. Common sense is returning on the issue of parking, but the Vale council appear to be swimming against the tide.
“Local councils across Britain are set to collect a record £687m in parking charges this year, an amount I find staggering. The Vale council have stated that they would like a piece of that pie and have seen an opportunity. However they must do the right thing to support the people that live and work locally and work to encourage trade that builds a community rather than introduce unimaginative and ill-thought out charges.”