A flight club has abandoned its traditional meeting place because of the council’s hike in parking charges. Rob Chisholm who runs Freeflight Brighton paragliding school said he has been meeting customers at the Madeira Drive cafe on the seafront for 12 years but has now stopped.

He said: “They are not willing to pay these kind of parking charges. If the council wants to keep traffic off the seafront why not just close it to parking altogether. They are forcing customers away from small businesses in the area.”

Greg Harman, owner at Madeira Cafe, said: “My takings have nearly halved since the new tariff was introduced. I have had regular customers tell me they can’t afford to eat at the cafe anymore because of the increase in parking. We are a seaside town that’s very popular with families, and it’s very worrying when people are already struggling to pay for a day out.

“The road is empty of cars. It just doesn’t make sense.

“The public want us to provide them with 20 £1 coins but we are charged 1.5% for change.” The council’s new parking tariffs came into effect on April 1. It has announced plans to introduce a new eight-hour tariff costing £15 in the seafront high zone, which i n c l u d e s Madeira Drive. A £20 all-day charge is still in place.

The Argus has launched the Park The Charges campaign. We are calling on Brighton and Hove City Council to review its recently introduced parking charge increases, to consult with residents and businesses and then decide what changes need to be made for the good of the city. Let us know what you think about the council’s parking strategy. Email john.keenan@theargus.co.uk

Join the debate on Twitter. Use the hashtag #parkthecharges