Coventry’s car park charges look set to stay frozen for the remainder of the year.

Coventry City Council, which fixes both long and short stay prices across Coventry, has reportedly been considering an increase to meet a shortfall in its budget.

But the City Centre Company which collects the fees, manages and staffs the car parks has not been informed of any proposed changes and has vowed to keep campaigning against increases.

Mark Nicholls, assistant head of City Centre Management, said:

"We would have to be approached to implement any changes and have not been contacted.

"It is my personal view that the charges will not be increased and certainly we would try and use influence against that. We want to encourage visitors to the city and not drive them away."

Nicholls said that short stay car parks were increasingly busy and prices had stayed level for around two years. Long stay usage is "steady" after charges were hiked last year.

"I did a nationwide study a couple of years ago and found that we compared well in charges with cities of a similar size. The only region that was cheaper across the board, was the north east.

"Smaller towns can be cheaper but we stand up well in comparison with large cities and want that to be the case into the future.

"There is no threat to free Sunday parking in West Orchards and the Barracks and we have also decided to introduce free parking for the six weeks before Christmas on Sundays in all car parks and on Wednesdays after 7pm. Sunday parking has been popular and is an incentive to people to use the city centre at weekends. The company and retailers have made a commitment to make Sunday trading a success.

"We want to encourage people into the city. Increased footfall has a benefit for everyone."