Coun John Wilmott mentioned a petition launched by Hucknall's Conservative representative on Notts County Council, Coun Mick Murphy, which now has more than 2,000 names.

"We should take notice of the petition and give what the majority of people are asking for – free parking," said Coun Wilmott.

Council leader Coun Jason Zadrozny (Lib Dem) said the petition had not yet been presented to the council's Cabinet.

But he pledged that the parking issue would form an integral part of consultations about the future of Hucknall town centre. "We will review everything brought before us," he stressed.

Coun Zadrozny said the issue had been going "back and forth" since the council's inception and the current scheme had been in operation since 1997.

He went on: "I agree that the current climate has changed and people are being financially squeezed."

Coun Zadrozny added that he would love to remove car-parking charges. He asked Coun Wilmott, in his capacity on an overview and scrutiny committee, to look into revenue savings to make this possible.