It will kill the town dead - that was the clear message from Radstock Town Council as the issue of paid for parking, again, came onto the agenda.

The issue has been raised within plans by B&NES which are considering paid for parking in both Radstock and Midsomer Norton.

That would see the current free parking in both towns removed and a metering system of payments imposed.

Cllr Chris Dando told the Town Council meeting on January 17: " We need to make a forceful objection to any plans for paid for parking, It won't be ten pence either, it won't be twenty pence.. whatever it is it is wrong the principal of pay as you park is fundamentally wrong."

Slightly tongue in cheek suggested that they would even reach out to Midsomer Norton " for once" to make a direct appeal for a joint effort to prevent parking charges being imposed.

During the debate, the council heard that the new health centre on Waterloo Road will not have enough spaces even for staff to park on site, which raised the notion that patients going to the centre could have to pay to attend.

A line in the proposal - a line in our sand

Cllr Dando added: " To impose a charge for parking in Radstock is just going to knock the town's businesses for six."

He also said that he believed that B&NES should have consulted on any proposals and that they might have breached the parish charter by not talking to the councils. *

Cllr Eleanor Jackson reminded the meeting that when Radco imposed parking charges for shoppers who did not buy anything in store, trade there fell by 25 per cent.

Cllr Mike Boulton told the meeting: " We were promised 100 parking spaces when the new housing estate was built... We were promised shopping parking that never materialised. Businesses have lost considerable parking in Radstock already."

It was pointed out that the issue of paying to park has been hard fought for years by Radstock, Midsomer and Keynsham. Cllr Bruce Shearn said: " They say they want vibrant high streets, well you do not get them with making people pay to park on them. "

The council resolved to ask for a meeting with Cllr Richard Samuel of B&NES and to put a formal objection to the proposal.

• The parish charter sets out how B&NES works with all the local councils with an aim : "To work together to promote local economic, social and environmental wellbeing. We will value the roles, responsibilities, and opinions of our respective councils and be aware at all times that we have a common purpose to serve the public of Bath & North East Somerset and that we serve the same residents. "

You can read the full charter by clicking HERE : the B&NES document