Brighton and Hove City Council makes almost £2 million a year from on-street car parking charges.

So motorists are feeling more than a little irked to find some of those charges are rising by as much as 50 per cent.

Like almost all councils, Brighton and Hove wants to encourage more drivers to use other means of transport because there are simply too many cars to fit the space available.

But it can't charge too much, otherwise it will anger residents and send visitors on the way to other resorts.

Some of the increases about to come into force on the seafront do seem steep and will not please hoteliers who, in most cases, cannot offer off-street parking as a lure.

The one consolation that drivers and hoteliers have is that, by law, the profits must be put back into transport and roads.

Some of the improvements are obvious, such as the new kerbs at bus stops allowing disabled people easy access on to buses.

But for that sort of hike, drivers will also expect potholes to be filled promptly, better resurfacing and more schemes to improve traffic flow.

It's too late to do anything about the charges just about to come into force on the seafront. But the council should make it clear to everyone when the cash comes in exactly where it is to be spent for the benefit of all road users.