Parking charges are set to fall by a quarter in Wolverhampton city centre for the first time in a bid to  bring in more shoppers.

But two car parks will see a 20p rise in daytime charges, with council bosses today blaming the rise on the cost of security and lighting.

Season tickets are also coming down in price and on-street parking charges are being frozen.

The standard evening parking fee is being cut from £2.50 to £2.

The cost of evening parking at the Civic Centre car park will rise by 50p, and  for daytime parking there will be a 20p rise. Fees will also rise by 20p at St Peter’s, which is only open to the public on Saturdays.

The biggest winners will be people who use Fold Street car park where the one-hour rate will fall from 80p to 60p — a drop of 25 per cent, while the fee for two hours will fall from £1.50 to £1.

Wolverhampton City Council said that one hour’s free parking around the retail markets increased the number of shoppers in July, August and January.