Car parking charges in Whitchurch and Wem are set to increase under plans to be agreed next week by Shropshire Council.

The changes will see charges for parking in council-controlled bays in Whitchurch, Castle Hill car park, Pepper Street car park to go up from their current rate of 50p per hour to 60p.

The cost of parking for an hour in High Street car park, Wem, will rise by 10p, from 30p to 40p with parking in other council bays elsewhere in town also set to rise.

In Ellesmere, charges will go up from £2.30 to £2.50 in the Moors and Castlefield parks, while on-street parking near The Mere will go from £1 to £1.20 per hour.

The proposals will be going before Shropshire Council's Conservative cabinet on Wednesday, July 6.

The council says the move will be the first increase since 2018, meaning the overall increase will be below the cumulative rate of inflation for that period.

In his report to the cabinet next week, Shropshire Council officer Kevin Aitken said: "People’s behaviour may change as a result of experiencing financial difficulties as the cost-of-living crisis bites. It is considered that the relatively low-cost increase proposed is unlikely to be a significant factor in influencing choice on its own."

Dean Carroll, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for highways and the Conservatives' expected North Shropshire candidate in the next parliamentary election, added: "Even with these changes many car parks will continue to be free, and many will cost just 40p an hour. And even with a small increase our prices will continue to compare favourably with many other parts of the country."

Responses from people who were consulted around the plans show some opposition to the proposals.

One members of the public said: "Wrong to raise prices while everything else is going up. People will shop out of town which will be damaging to the economies of towns."

Mr Aitken's report added: "It is recognised that for low-income households, whose needs we seek to consider within a broad grouping of social inclusion, there may be a negative equality impact. This also includes those we may consider to be vulnerable, eg. single parent families, serving members of the armed forces and veterans."

He also justified the increase in relation to inflationary pressures.

The move will mean the most expensive council-run car parks in the county are in Shrewsbury, where a peak hour's parking at The Quarry Swimming Baths, or in Bridge Street, Raven Meadows and St Austin's will all cost £2.