Wiltshire Council has just launched its biggest ever parking review of towns throughout the county but critics say the consultation is far too complicated.

No public meetings are planned and people are expected to access key information by looking through scores of pages of documents on the internet.

Councillor John Hubbard said: “I think it is vital that public meetings are held for a subject this important.

“Parking is the subject that has sparked the most interest from people in Wiltshire and it is important that all people can have their say.

“If the process is too complicated some people will not bother to take part. It is very difficult to find anything on the Wiltshire Council website.”

Chippenham MP Duncan Hames was also surprised no public meetings are planned.

He said: “I will be calling for public meetings to be held.

“I think the area boards would be a good forum for this.”

It was supported by Devizes town councillor Nigel Carter who said he would be calling for a meeting to be held in Devizes.

But deputy leader of Wiltshire Council John Thomson defended both the lack of public meetings and the complexity of the survey.

He said meetings would be held in each town for representatives from town councils, chambers of commerce and other interested groups.

He said: “The consultation document is detailed but it is a case of you are damned if you do and damned if you don’t. If we hadn’t included it all we would have been accused of not being open.”

The council wants people to fill in an online questionnaire that is available on its website and has prepared a report detailing its proposed changes for every car park it runs in the county.

But this information is buried deep within one of three supporting documents that people have to download to find out the detailed proposals for the town they are interested in.

Among those who could not access all the information was Chippenham Area Board chairman Linda Packard. She said: “There needs to be a summary. I can’t get to the survey part at all it just goes round and round on my computer.”

A Wiltshire spokesman said: “We are keen to hear the views of residents, stakeholders and other interested parties to help us shape the new strategy. The council has made no decisions at this stage and would like to see how far you agree or disagree with the presented options, or alternatively suggest your own.

The consultation is open until 5pm on January 16. The council says all responses received will be considered in a report to Wiltshire Council’s Cabinet meeting next March. Approved changes to charges will then be brought in as soon as possible.