B&NES Council has brought in a new evening charging regime in Bath's public car parks, meaning motorists will have to pay until 8pm, rather than 7pm. This change was not widely publicised and there appears to have been no consultation with the business community.

The move will force people to pay up to £4 for less than an hour's parking.
It may be too late for restaurants and pubs already suffering from the tightening of purse-strings resulting from the credit crunch.

But it's not just businesses and tourism that will be hit. The changes will affect people attending a host of events starting at 7.30pm or 8pm - theatre performances, concerts, meetings, club evenings, rehearsals, charity galas and film shows.

Park and ride is not an option at that time of day, and there will be many people who won't feel safe walking. The council has paid constant lip service to the idea of boosting the evening economy - of developing a Continental-style cafe society where the city comes alive at night.

The danger is that the responsible, community-minded people we want to visit the city centre of a summer's evening are turned off the idea, leaving the heart of Bath as a playground for drunken yobs.

We at the Chronicle like to look forward. But in this case, it really is time to turn the clock back.