A shake-up of the park-and-ride services is planned. The city council is poised to take control of the Pear Tree, Redbridge and Seacourt sites from the county council, which says it no longer can afford to run them.

Last night the Town Hall warned the return of parking fees to cover the £700,000 annual running costs looked inevitable.

It is perhaps unsurprising in the current climate that fees are coming back. A £1 charge is something we hope people are willing to stomach, while other services are being axed.