A Selby shop owner has urged councillors to think of struggling businesses when they meet today to rubber stamp a freeze on parking charges in the town.

Sue Chappelow, co-owner of furniture store Everatts of Selby, said she would “welcome with open arms” a decision to put a hold on parking charges for the next 12 months.

Last month Selby District Council’s environment board recommended that alternative money-saving initiatives should be explored while the price freeze is in effect.

Miss Chappelow said: “Please please please don’t put the prices up. We would welcome that with open arms because market towns around us which don’t charge for parking, such as Thirsk, are pulling people away.”

She said this was the third year in a row that the council had closed roads in Selby and it was obvious that visitor numbers were down.

“There’s a small car park just off Gowthorpe where once you could never get a place, but now I bet I could walk down there and there would be just a dozen cars there,” she said.

Last month The Press reported how the £139,000 expected income from Selby’s car parks in 2009 was exceeded by £11,000.

The encouraging figures saw the council’s environment board discuss the possibility of increasing charges by between five and ten per cent. However, it was decided to recommend a freeze on charges.

Coun Chris Metcalfe, chairman of the environment board, said: “We must not do anything that would damage that support from the local community for their local shops.”