HERE we go again -- South Ribble Borough Council is considering introducing car park charges on Leyland's public car parks handed over with most other amenities by the old Leyland District Council in 1974.

As a past member of the then Leyland Urban District Council's highways committee, I remember we spent many long hours, without pay in those days, considering the on and off street parking in the Leyland area.

As one of the councillors for the main shopping district of Hough Lane/Chapel Brow/Turpin Green, it was our main concern then to encourage spending visitors into our centre while protecting the street residents through or from free car parks provisions, or limiting time in front of their homes.

It's now almost 30 years since our plans were finalised and put into place and they have generally served our community pretty well.

But now I see that councillors who reside and represent voters from the borough's tail areas think they can wag the dog yet again and make a quick bob or two without doing themselves any political damage at all, by charging Leylanders to use our shops in our town.

Previous plans to improve Leyland's shopping area are beginning to pay-off, there are now more and better shops in Leyland than ever before and more and more people are coming into Leyland principally, because parking is plentiful and free.

If you councillors in South Ribble do the unthinkable and grasp at charges for our car parks it can only result in three things:

Large stores and shops with their own free car parks will do better in either Leyland, Preston or Chorley.

Leyland streets adjacent to the main shops will be at a premium and will bear the extra pressure and aggro for that free parking space.

Leyland's smaller businesses will feel a downturn in trade, close and lose the council valuable rate payments. Then where do we go?

So what if we in Leyland are the only town currently in Lancashire not making a charge? Leyland needs to be different to assist our town, its residents and its businesses, against fierce competition from our larger neighbours.

If councillors really want to be even more different maybe they could also show the way to the rest of the country and refuse to claim their allowances and personal payments from the councils coffers.

That action would put about the same amount into revenue that these silly parking charges would provide.

Go on -- be different for once. Show us voters you care.

Mr Bob Wilkinson JP,

full address supplied.