I would like to stress the importance of maintaining the free one- hour parking that exists in the Market Place in Devizes.

There seems to be no logical reason to reduce the allowance by half. Except perhaps for the prospect of revenue from parking tickets.

We all enjoy the use of the Market Place car park and most people stay less than the hour. Some may come and go in 10 to 15 minutes.

The reduction proposed can only make parking in the town less convenient and this is going to make people think twice about coming in the first place.

This will affect the vitality of the town and will place further stress on the many businesses and services that are there.

Nobody who visits Devizes town centre regularly seems to want this change, so why do it?

Let the mandarins at County Hall show some practical benefit for this and some measure of the supposed improvement and tell them to quit ignoring the views of the majority.

A proper debate is needed.

John Markham, Littleton House Farm, High Street, Littleton Panell.