BUSINESS leaders and motorists have launched an 11th hour bid for plans for new parking charges in Southampton to be scrapped.

Tory council bosses will consider the final pleas at a meeting on Monday.

Councillors want to extend charging in the city centre by an hour and introduce a £2 charge for using multi-storey car parks overnight.

But Jimmy Chestnutt, director general of the Southampton and Fareham Chamber of Commerce, accused the council of profiteering ahead of a review of the council's car parking strategy.

"It appears that this change of regime and charges does not form part of that strategy but is simply a revenue-raising exercise, which seems to be a strange policy given that Southampton's retail ranking is dropping," he said.

The Conservative Cabinet wants to charge for parking in the city centre from 8am to 6pm, rather than 8.30am to 5.30pm as they do now.

It also wants to bring in a £2 overnight parking charge for the city's five multi-storey car parks. Season tickets will be offered for £250. The changes will raise £115,000.

The council's Cabinet member for economic development Royston Smith said that, while the objections were constructive, he doubted the changes would affect retail.