11 things Echo readers said about planned increase for parking charges in Sunderland

Sunderland City Council has said it is looking to deal with government cuts - and raising charges will help balance budgets and off-set costs.

From the start of next month, parking in council car parks and for on-street parking will increase by 10p and there will be a Sunday fixed rate of £2 at the St Mary's and Sunniside multi-storeys - a rise of 50p.

Echo readers had a lot to say on the subject - and here are some of your comments.

1. Charmaine Wilson: "This is why our city centre is in ruins. Keep going Sunderland council and there will be no cars coming into the city therefore no need for your expensive car parks!"

2. Chris Barron: "Usual whinge fest about lack of shops, whats shops are not in Sunderland but in Metro Centre /Newcastle? Only difference is size of shop. You can park near stadium (non match days) or B&Q for free and walk five mins, driving to Metro Centre/Newcastle is obviously free in most posters cars so we will forget about fuel costs to offset car park charges/travel time both ways. Like Crowtree/Joplings etc use them or lose them."

3. Debra Johnson: "They only went up a couple of months ago, that's me shopping at the Galleries and Metro Centre from now on. Half the shops are already boarded up in the city centre what you gain in parking you will loose in business rates. When will Sunderland council wake up?"

4. Susan Suey: "Every city centre is expensive to park, retail parks are free. Makes me laugh that people say they will stop going due to the 10p rise but are happy to drive miles for free parking or to pay other cities to park."

5. Tracca Boot: "A third of households in Sunderland do not have access to a car, so we need to improve public transport instead, so that it is affordable and reliable!"

6. Steven Capper: "It's 10p! You can't even buy a 10p mix-up any more. Bet it won't stop you going to the pub if they stuck 10p on the cost of your pint."

7. Barbara Clark: "It's a joke. Parking should be reduced to encourage people to shop in the town. We don't have great stores to start with and increasing fares drives me further out of town."

8. Michael Forster: "Well there's another nail in the coffin for Sunderland town centre."

9. Emma Phillips: "I noticed there's one night it is free after 3pm while I was paying for my parking on Saturday. Didn't think 70p an hour was bad, but there isn't the selection of shops in the city centre to justify high parking charges."

10. Brian Fulcher-Blige: "The Sunniside parking area is best for long periods of parking. 24 hours free if you spend at least £5 at selected shops."

11. Mary Hepton: "Not parked in Sunderland since the last rise."