Free car parking in the town centre might be stopped.

David Renard told members of the business community that the provision at Swindon Borough Council run-car parks on Sundays “will have to be looked at” because of the impact the measure has had on the finances.

The council leader was speaking at a consultation event about setting business rates in the town. The authority is drawing up its budget and the normal process for setting it is behind schedule because of the December general election. The council had not yet been told what money it would be getting from Whitehall.

One of the business owners attending, Vince Ayris, who runs trophy and engraving company in Havelock Street brought up the subject of free parking on Sundays. The scheme was introduced in a bid to encourage shoppers to the town centre.

Coun Renard said: “We will have to look at that again.

"We want to encourage people into the town centre, and support it, but it has had an impact on the council’s finances – and that impacts our ability to do other things we need to do.”

Figures in council budget reports show that the dropping of charges on Sundays is likely to cost the council around £250,000.

The total loss is closer to £390,000 but a small increase in charges on the other six days has mitigated the impact a little.”

Mr Ayris said: “The increase hasn’t covered it entirely?”

Di Powell, the chief executive of business support organisation InSwindon BID, said: “Responses to the free parking have been a really mixed bag.

"It’s true to say that the decline in footfall in the centre is slower on Sundays than it is for the rest of the week.”

Mr Ayris said: “It’s important to support the town centre, but we don’t open on Sundays, so it doesn’t do anything for us.

“You could think of putting the cost up to £1 on Sundays and dropping them to £1 for people parking after 3pm on weekdays.

“That’s an amount that’s nothing to people, and it might encourage people picking up their children from school or people going home from work just to pop into the town centre.”

Coun Renard said the matter would be looked at.

He was intrigued by another suggestion by Mr Ayris, who said: “You might be able to raise money by charging for a fast track at the Waterside Park recycling centre.

"People go, and it can be a long queue, and for those people who don’t want to wait, they might pay a few pounds to get rid of their stuff quicker.

“It could also help with flytipping, if people who think they are too busy to wait know they can get to the front of the queue.”

The budget is due be presented to cabinet and council in February.