CUT-PRICE car parking is here to stay for Swindon motorists.

That was the decision taken last night by the council’s Tory cabinet, which voted to back a call for last year’s temporarily reduced rates to be made permanent.

But, by the council’s own estimation, the move, which applies to the town centre and Old Town, costs up to £500,000 a year in lost revenue.

And the meeting heard passionate pleas from businessmen, heated exchanges between political rivals, and accusations of hypocrisy.

A string of the town’s business leaders lined up to praise the low parking rates and call for them to continue.

Nigel Moorcroft, from Great Western Cameras, called last year’s decision to drop the parking rates in the town centre “seismic.”

“I can honestly say that this is the single most advanced thought this council has ever had,” he said.

“I really commend the people that made this decision. I live in Bristol and people there have heard of the £2 parking.”

Tony Wilkes, the manager of the Brunel Shopping Centre, credited it with cutting the number of empty units in the centre.

The council produced graphs to show that both takings and the number of shoppers in the town centre went up as a result of the lower rates, which came in last summer.

Coun Peter Greenhalgh (Con, Freshbrook and Grange Park), proposing the move, said: “I’ve been in Swindon town centre almost every day. It feels – mock if you will – more vibrant.”

But Labour’s deputy leader Mark Dempsey (Parks) said the upturn was more to do with work to brighten up the town centre.

He showed that in fact figures were down in the immediate wake of the parking price cut, and said: “The evidence would suggest there’s a stronger relationship between regeneration of the town centre and footfall than car parking reduction and footfall.”

Coun Greenhalgh said: “I’ve listened to you criticise Swindon Borough Council so many times over things like regeneration.

“We’re bringing a report that says we’ve reduced car parking income and are getting more people into the town centre.

“You’re saying it's because we've made the town centre more attractive. I find that an astonishing display of hypocrisy.”

The charges were reduced in July 2010, from £1.20 an hour or £4.80 for four hours, to £1 for one hour, or £2 for four.

Smaller reductions were also made in Old Town. Now these measures will stay in place indefinitely.

But afterwards Coun Dempsey said: “This was like shuffling the chairs on the Titanic. What we need to do to stop it sinking is to regenerate the town centre.

“There may be alternatives that offer a better value for money return.”