I'M writing to you about the article "No more free car parking in centre" (LET, October 23) which says that there will be no free parking in Blackburn town centre.

Are the council trying to drive people away from Blackburn with this idea and are they also trying to do away with some of the business in that area as well?

Also about these around 300 paid-for parking spaces, how many will be for disabled drivers to use with their badges? (As disabled drivers do shop as well as other people in Blackburn).

Will the council as quoted in the paper "raise £60,000 for council coffers?" Will they keep council tax the same next year as this year's as they will be getting extra money off the tax payers.

As for the president of Blackburn Chamber of Trade saying it would stop town centre workers clogging up spaces all day, he's criticising the people who work in the town centre in shops etc.

If there were no workers there would be no trade so there would be no businesses to vote for a Chamber of Trade president.

I can't see this idea helping in trying to get Blackburn named as a city, as most cities will have free parking in and around town centres.

HAMISH McLEAN, Brighton Terrace, Darwen.