I read with interest your article last week regarding the fact that most people would like the reinstatement of the free one-hour parking in the Market Place in Devizes.

I am a great supporter of this and I spoke to Wiltshire Council in favour of retaining the one-hour parking.

I was told, in no uncertain terms, by Councillor Dick Tonge, the then cabinet member for highways that Devizes Market Place had to change to bring it in line with Marlborough High Street as they were comparable. This is a fact I didn’t understand then and still don’t.

I was also told that bringing the parking down to half an hour would make motorists use the car parks, thus raising revenue, which would be used to supplement the bus service.

Wiltshire Council is making hundreds of thousands of pounds from the ticket machines for parking fees and even more as the machines give no change.

So by their logic we should have a truly efficient bus service, but no, bus services are being cut.

So where is all this generated income going? It’s certainly not going on the upkeep of the roads, judging by the state of them and the innumerable potholes. It’s not going on road markings, some of which are practically non-existent and it doesn’t seem to be going on verge clearing or hedge cutting.

When asked this question, no doubt Wiltshire Council will say it’s going into a ‘pot’.

Let’s have our free one-hour parking back, then at least Wiltshire Council can say that it has played a part to help regenerate our town.

Coun Jane M Burton, Devizes Guardians.