A DECISION to increase parking charges across Poole will be discussed again after councillors said they were unhappy with how the process has been “fast-tracked”.

Cllr Mike Brooke, who represents the Broadstone ward at Borough of Poole, claims the decision had been pre-determined ahead of the cabinet meeting earlier this month.

He has now successfully called-in the decision which means it will be looked at again before a final decision can be made.

Speaking to the Echo he said: “The decision was clearly made beforehand.

“Cabinet does have the right to make this decision without council approval but you would have expected it to go through the appropriate scrutiny committee first.

“This cabinet and this council are deliberately keeping things out of committee so there is no scrutiny and no accountability and as a consequence fast-tracking important decisions like this one.”

He also said that the consultation process “was a sham”.

“There has been a failure to give consideration to the stakeholders’ views, all of whom opposed the proposals, but not a single point raised by them is referred to in the report, nor were they discussed at cabinet. People’s views are just not listened to.

“It is a dictatorship not a democracy with only a handful of councillors who sit on the cabinet making decisions for the whole of the Borough.

“It’s not right and not the way Poole should be conducting council business.”

The new charges, to be introduced in April, are £1 per hour in town centre and district car parks with no reduced Sunday rate, a new overnight charge in the town centre and at beaches and new peak season beach charges (excluding the Beach Road car park).

District car park season tickets will also be increased, but 30 minutes free on-road parking will be retained.

In almost a fortnight since the decision was made more than 1,500 people have signed a petition against the charges.

The council has said it could raise £873,821 from the new charges in the next financial year, helping to alleviate “budgetary pressures”.

The call-in overview and scrutiny meeting to discuss the charges is due to take place at the Civic Centre at 2.30pm on Monday , January 30.