MOTORISTS across the district will have to dig deeper to park under district council plans to up fees and extend charging hours to generate an additional £60,000 a year for the authority.

Fees look set to be increased by an average of 20p and a controversial scheme to charge from 8am is back on the cards, just over six months after it was abandoned in the face of fierce opposition.

Currently, charges only apply in West Somerset Council's car parks between 10am and 6pm, but all that is likely to change from April 2011.

Faced with a shortfall in funding and the loss of income from county council-owned seafront parking in Minehead, councillors have been warned they must generate more cash or face making greater cuts.

Proposals to save up to £414,000 in the next financial year are already up for discussion - including increasing car park charges and bringing in new fees for parking in the bays in front of the holiday park on Blue Anchor seafront, beside Church Hall in Crowcombe and in the central car park off the main road in Kilve.

Existing all-day fees in Williton, Porlock and parts of Dunster could also see huge increases to bring the car parks in line with those in Watchet and some in Minehead.

At the moment, motorists pay £3.50 to park all day in Porlock and Williton and £4 in Dunster's Park Street car park.

Under the proposed increases, that would rise to £4.70 across the board, with some of Minehead's car parks, including Warren Road, Quay West and the Station Car Park being upped to £5.70.

On the flip side, charges in Minehead's Summerland Road Car Park could be reduced from 70p and £1.20 to 50p and £1 after the numbers of people using the facility dropped by 20 per cent.

But one of the most controversial proposals will be the introduction of charges from 8am.

The council introduced the 'early bird' charge earlier this year, but abandoned it weeks later after an outcry from shoppers and parents on the school run.

Parish councillors and business leaders also added their voices as the charges meant people staying in bed and breakfast accommodation and parents dropping children off for school, particularly in Dunster and Porlock, had to pay to park.

The council is hoping to avoid a repeat of the backlash by introducing a new £30, one-hour, pre 10am parking permit to "mitigate" the impact of the early charging regime if it is approved.

In a report to Monday's district council scrutiny committee, finance manager Graham Carne will tell councillors the permit would allow parents to use car parks for the daily equivalent of 23p.

Mr Carne will tell the committee: "The proposal to introduce car parking charges from 8am in Watchet, Williton, Porlock and Dunster will have a negative impact on parents who currently use the car parks to take their children to school.

"The option of purchasing a pre 10am, one hour parking permit will help to mitigate this. However, some low income groups will still find this option unaffordable to them."

But he will tell councillors they are pretty much between a rock and a hard place.

"Fees and charges that the council generates contribute to the overall costs of running the organisation and helps to maintain low tax rises.

"Our car parks generate our single largest source of fee income, with approximately £450,000 expected for 2011/12.

"If car park fees are not to be increased in order to contribute to the savings target, alternative cuts or additional income should be identified.

"The council is facing a considerable shortfall in funding over the next few years.

"Increasing car park fees in an informed manner will help to maintain council services. The alternative is greater cuts."

The proposed charges will either have to be approved or amended when the authority sets its budget in the New Year.

The authority is trying to put a positive spin on the proposals by pointing out that motorists will be able to park in the district for the equivalent for 30p per day.

The figure refers to a permit for a nominated car park - which will go up by £20 to £110 - which breaks down to the equivalent if 30p a day if the council was to charge for parking seven days a week.

Permits for all car parks in the district will also go up by £20 to £210.

Mr Carne accepted the increases and changes could lead to more on-street parking in Minehead but will tell committee members that would be controlled with the planned introduction of civil parking enforcement (CPE).

Currently, on-street parking is largely unregulated in the district, but a planned partnership with Somerset County Council would see new parking wardens employed and new restrictions, charges and fines introduced across the district from August next year.

The council is also pressing ahead with controversial plans to take back control of car parks in Dulverton, which are currently overseen by the town council, as part of the CPE scheme.