Concerns have been raised after the removal of free parking led to the axing of a popular car boot sale.
Scrapping free parking at the War Memorial car park in Totton impacted the viability of the onsite car boot, said Sue Tizard, a trustee of the community centre supported by the event.
Ms Tizard said it feels as though Totton has been ignored by New Forest District Council (NFDC).
She said: “It seems like Totton doesn’t count for the council anymore, if it ever did.”
The council confirmed that the decision forms part of the wider and ongoing car park management, in consultation with the portfolio holder.
A spokesperson from the local authority said they engaged with the organiser of the car boot and Totton councillors before the changes were implemented
They said: "We’ve also offered to meet with the event organisers to find a resolution, and this offer of meeting has yet to be accepted."
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The eight annual Sunday car boot sales have historically benefited from free parking at the car park.
But the removal of free parking created fears of increased enforcement and buyers receiving parking fines. This resulted in the cancellation of the sale.
The last event was held on Sunday, June 7.
Ms Tizard said: “The concern was that people would be fined if they didn’t get tickets, which would just put people off coming.
“It raises real questions about who is actually making these decisions.”
She added that there has been an outpouring of support for the event, from those on the council and even from New Forest East MP Julian Lewis.
The council previously pointed to grant funding as an alternative, but Ms Tizard said repeated applications for support have been unsuccessful.
She also rejected claims that the decision is about fairness across the district and argued that the event in Totton is unique.
She said: “No other towns run a community event like this entirely through volunteers with town council backing.
“The car boot sale stopping does not benefit NFDC as people will just use the free town council car parks to do their shopping, or they will not come to Totton at all.”
Cllr David Harrison, Liberal Democrat for Totton South, previously spoke out against the decision.
He criticised what he described as a “one-size-fits-all” approach, adding: “I have long argued that a good car parking policy doesn’t depend on treating each town in the district the same.”
The council said the changes were part of ongoing efforts to manage car parks fairly and consistently across the New Forest.
