A Councillor claims his fears about ANPR parking systems in Princes Risborough were dismissed by Wycombe District Council during a full council meeting.

Councillor Alan Turner raised concerns about the new Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) parking system in Horns Lane and The Mount car parks at a full council meeting, but claims that the Cabinet member for Environment, Jean Teesdale, “refused to answer and changed the direction of the conversation.”

Councillor Turner said: “We've had a lot of trouble with the ANPR system in Horns Lane since the ANPR system was put in place. Retailers have told me they have seen a decrease in footfall since it was introduced and lots of elderly people don't shop in Risborough anymore because of it.

“All of the hard won success of town centre regeneration achieved over the last six years is now in jeopardy.”

Councillor Turner says he asked Councillor Teesdale if the system is legal, after reading a national newspaper article which claimed that many town hall car parks are using the system illegally.

He said: “[Wycombe District Council] probably hasn’t done their homework and it could have huge ramifications if the article is correct.”

A spokesperson from Wycombe District Council said: “We recognise that there are still some issues with ANPR system that we are working to resolve, but in the round we consider the ANPR system to be far more customer friendly than most other means of operating car parks.

“The Council has taken the advice of a leading barrister on its parking practices, including the use of ANPR, and in spite of recent national press articles to the contrary, is advised that its particular arrangements continue to be lawful.

“Since the scheme was rolled out, some improvements have been made to the siting of cameras and entrance/exit lanes in the car parks. If there are areas where particular user groups are facing difficulties, such as older people, we would be happy to provide additional support to help in using the machines.

“There is no evidence that the ANPR system has created a drop in footfall in Princes Risborough, or any other town in the district. Indeed, our own income figures for Horns Lane compare favourably and in line with the outturn for the same periods last year. It has, however, been widely reported nationally that “high street” footfall is slightly down in comparison to previous years.”