CONTACTLESS chip and pin card payments soon to be introduced by Waverley Borough Council in Farnham car parks will not be subject to a service charge.

Residents had complained they had to pay more to park in Waverley’s car parks when using the RingGo mobile phone service, because a surcharge was added.

“Council tax payers are being ripped off,” motorist Simon Dalziel objected, after having an extra 19p added to the £1 payable for an hour’s parking.

Plans to introduce a ‘check in, check out’ (CICO) system in its car parks, however, under which motorists would only be charged for the actual time on site, have been abandoned by Waverley, following a trial in Cranleigh.

A Waverley spokesman said: “The council has removed the CICO payment system from Stocklund Square and Village Way car parks in Cranleigh. The system had been trialled since April but it proved unpopular with customers.

“Usage had been declining for some months, with less than five per cent of payment transactions being carried out using the CICO process. Therefore, the council decided it could not justify the expenditure of keeping it running.”

Waverley plans to meet with town councils and chambers of commerce during 2018 in a bid to develop tailored parking and charging strategies to suit local needs in each area, as part of a strategic review of off-street parking provision and a feasibility study to identify opportunities for increasing capacity to meet demand.

“This isn’t about increasing tariffs or selling land,” a Waverley spokesman added. “The review is about how our car parks support the continued economic growth of the borough’s towns and villages.

“The review hasn’t started yet but we will be exploring a number of options.”