A HIKE in car parking charges in Petersfield and the surrounding area could be on the cards following a "secret" consultation conducted by East Hampshire District Council.

The contents of the consultation document and the results of subsequent meetings, which have all taken place behind closed doors and carried out over the past few months, are set to be revealed at a meeting of the district council cabinet next Thursday.

"It is the first I have personally heard about it," said Tracey Richardson, the secretary of the Association of Petersfield Businesses.

"Normally our chairman is the contact and it would have been nice to think they would have contacted us about it. I would expect businesses to be invited to a debate about anything that gives people a reason not to come to Petersfield," said Mrs Richardson.

For full story, see this week's Petersfield Herald.