Colchester’s parking boss has denied there are plans to impose on-street charges in some areas of Tendring.

Vice-chairman of the North East Essex Parking Partnership (NEPP), councillor Martin Hunt, says the district will only get parking meters if they are requested.

Mr Hunt, who is also deputy leader of Colchester Borough Council, moved to make the reassurances after comments from Tendring District Council leader Peter Halliday, who said he feared NEPP wanted to see more parking meters in order to generate income.

NEPP has had responsibility for the on-street parking in a number of areas, including Tendring, for almost two years. The organisation is made of representatives of the six district and borough councils in north Essex with Colchester Borough Council being the lead authority.

Mr Halliday, said “Tendring is a very car-friendly district and we will do whatever we can to get people to visit the area. The last thing people want when they visit Clacton is a £45 parking fine - that won’t get them spending money in the area and won’t encourage them to come back again.

“In contradiction to that the NEPP is looking at ways of balancing the budgets, rather than improving traffic flow within our district. We will do all that we can to ensure that the partnership does not ride roughshod over us.”

The row flared after an item on parking meters was discussed at the last meeting of NEPP earlier this month.

But Mr Hunt said councillors in Tendring have misunderstood what was agreed.

He said: “ NEPP decided that it would be up to every council to apply to have parking meters and not for them to be imposed on them. So if Tendring does’t want parking meters, they won’t get them.

“Tendring has always been suspcious that Colchester will take over in some way and some of the fears come from that.”

Mr Hunt also denied reports that the green light had been given for parking meters to be installed in North Station Road in Colchester.

He said: “It’s not for us to impose parking meters on anyone.

“The position in Colchester is we will ask the council if they are in favour and if they are not we will take it no further. After that we will ask the ward councillors and then shopkeepers and residents. At each stage if they are not in favour we will take it no further.”