PLANS to raise parking charges to fund freedom passes for the elderly has been branded as “discrimination” against drivers.

Parking charges are set to increase by more than a third across the borough as Bromley Council try to raise an extra £1.28m.

The extra income will be used to fund other transport spending, including freedom passes, which allow people over 60 to travel for free on public transport.

The biggest hourly increases are at Station Road car park in Bromley, which will see an increase from 60p to £1 and for short-stay parking in the roads closest to Bromley town centre, where charges will increase from £1.10 to £1.50.

Chairman of Bromley Borough Roads Action Group Roger Lawson said: “I think it’s deplorable car parking is going up at all.

“Budgets are under pressure but it’s unfair to extract money from parking to fund things like freedom passes.

“If people want freedom passes the whole of the borough should pay for it, not just drivers. It’s discrimination.”

Portfolio holder for the environment Councillor Colin Smith said: “The rise in tariffs, the first in some cases going back to 2004, is obviously something we’ve thought very long and hard about as part of our parking management strategy and have only introduced this with considerable reluctance.

“Despite the effect of inflation over this period, we’ve nevertheless taken the decision to maintain our rates at extremely competitive levels compared to neighbouring Boroughs in an effort to continue supporting local businesses as best we can during this difficult financial period.

“The extra revenue generated will broadly be used to fund Bromley’s much cherished Freedom Pass scheme for our senior citizens.”

If the new charges are approved they are scheduled to come into effect in mid April. All new charges will be published at bromley.gov.uk.

Some of the new parking charges

All car parks in Bromley town centre, including the Civic Centre, The Hill and Westmoreland, will increase to £1 per hour.

Short stay on street parking in Beckenham and Orpington will increase to 70p per hour.

Short stay on street parking in Petts Wood, Chiselhurst, Locksbottom, Hayes, Chatterton Road and Upper Elmers End Road will increase to 60p per hour.

Long stay on street parking outside of Bromley town centre will increase to 50p per hour.

Short stay parking in Bromley town centre will increase to £1.50 per hour. Long stay parking will increase to 80p per hour.