SOUTH Hams Council tax payers face a 2.5 per cent increase after a heated meeting saw members of the executive committee put the brakes on plans to charge for car parking at South Brent, Aveton Gifford and Beesands.

The increase – if agreed by the full council – will mean a band D taxpayer having to find £137.88, an increase of £3.36 a year, or six-and-a-half pence a week.

But the budget meeting of the executive was dominated by the parking issue, which saw scores of anti-charging protesters squeeze into the Cary Room at Follaton House, making it a standing room only occasion.

At first council leader Cllr John Tucker insisted that charges would be imposed on the three sites – although there are legal problems at Beesands – in a move aimed at raising £27,000 for the hard-pressed authority.

But after a series of impassioned speeches – and much criticism of the proposal – he changed his mind. Before any charges went ahead there would be public consultation, but he said he already knew what it would show as he had received 150 emails saying no to the idea.

Cllr Tucker said: 'It doesn't say we are not going to do it, but it gives us a chance to listen to what was said.'

Protesters heard Cllr Julian Brazil say it was 'absolutely disgraceful' that Follaton House wasn't included in the list of possible car parks to face charges.

He made the remarks despite hearing Cllr Jonathan Hawkins pledge that Follaton House would be included in a review of the remaining free car parks in the district.

Cllr Brazil warned that the council had lost its direction and what its reason was by putting at risk the vitality and community of South Brent.

Cllr Cathy Pannell warned that businesses in South Brent which were 'teetering on the brink' would be hit by the charges. With just 42 spaces, talk of buying overnight permits could mean 1,000 people in the village who might think that was a nice idea, but would have nowhere to go. 'It's rubbish,' she said.

And Penny Wainwright of Sustainable South Brent asked whether the council had considered whether the charges would be counter-productive.

On the council tax, Cllr Tucker said he did not support taking the Government's £129,102 one-off council tax freeze grant as the money would only have to be found next year. Cllr Brazil said taking the grant simply meant saving up problems for another day. 'It's a brave decision and it's the right decision,' he said.

Cllr Benjamin Cooper, for Labour, echoed the Liberal Democrat councillor's words, but Cllr Keith Baldry, another Liberal Democrat, fractured cross-party consensus when he said: 'I think you are making a mistake. I don't think the public will understand what you are doing.'

There was some criticism of the executive's decision to cut an £11,500 arts grant to Villages in Action and some concern too at funding for an anti social behaviour officer being taken from the base budget.

Cllr Trevor Pennington said it was 'bureaucracy gone mad'. He had seen the specification for the job and all it involved was writing letters. But Alan Robinson, strategic director (community), said it wasn't just about writing letters, it was about early intervention.

'It's not about sitting in meetings, it's about being out in the communities.'

The executive finally approved that £5,141, 579 should be raised from council tax for 2012/13.

Despite a hard-fought battle to protect front-line services, South Hams Council's executive committee voted to grant an extra £10,000 to the Citizens' Advice Bureau.

Council Leader Cllr John Tucker said: 'In the long term this service saves us a great deal of money.' He added: 'They have done some outstanding work across the district.'

Cllr Keith Baldry, who sits on the bureau's management board, supported the move. He said: 'Thank you very much for the £10,000 for CAB, we can really do with it.'