Daily car parking charges across the district will be frozen until January 2010.

The move, announced to the press by the city council’s executive on Tuesday afternoon, is one of a number of budget reviews for 2009/2010, to be considered by full council next month, following public consultation.

Canterbury City Council hope the move will encourage people to continue using local shops, as well as helping small businesses across the district.

Council leader John Gilbey, along with executive members Cllrs Mike Patterson, Jean Law and Peter Lee also confirmed an independent consultants’ report has concluded Thanington Recreation Ground and Cockering Farm unsuitable for the development of a fourth park and ride site in Canterbury.

The study, commissioned last summer and undertaken by WSP Group, identified both operational and planning problems, including increased traffic congestion off the A2 and a lack of available space in which to relocate the recreation ground.

Despite the recommendation, the report did not rule out expanding capacity at the current Wincheap park and ride site. A multi-storey car park, providing up to 1,200 spaces, could be feasible in planning and landscape terms.

Listen: John Gilbey discusses the budget proposals with Adam Williams >>>

Other budget reviews announced included keeping the Whitstable Biennale and Oyster Festival separate, retaining the recycling calendar and replacing the Whitstable WASPII patrol boat with other shallow watercraft. A hundred per cent of parish core funding would be financed by the council, rather than the current 95 per cent and rental charges for beach huts would only increase by 11 per cent rather than 16 per cent.

Cllr Gilbey denied the council was making a u-turn on its original budget plans: “you put out ideas in November and lets face it, the world has changed even since then.

“It’s our responsibility to set the budget for the residents of the district, which is safe, secure and sustainable and that’s what we felt we had in November.

He added: “there were some technical issues in the original document, especially with the Whitstable patrol boat, but putting those out to consultation, we’re able to find solutions.”