CONTROVERSIAL evening parking charges could be expanded to a car park off Southend High Street, it has been revealed.

The unpopular seafront 6pm to 9pm charges brought in by the Labour-led administration could be introduced to University Square Car Park alongside extending the opening hours until midnight.

Southend Council projects a £120,000 loss for the car park, which is close to restaurants, bars, cafes and a cinema on London Road.

This is predominantly down to the cost of security staff required because the car park, which currently closes at 9pm, has a lift in operation.

Daniel Cowan, leader of the Labour council, said it was his intention to keep the car park open late and introduce a “nominal fee” to benefit late-night trade.

However, Tory leader James Courtenay fears it could be a “slow creep” towards the controversial charges being introduced across the city centre, but Mr Cowan has disputed this insisting no other city centre car parks would be impacted.

He said: “My concern is there isn’t enough detail yet. I get the idea that if it costs to keep it open because of needing to have security there but I’d like to know what that cost is. What the plan is for a nominal charge.

“Is it just going to be that car park or is it going to be a nominal charge across the rest of the town centre? Is it a slow creep into 6pm to 9pm charging across the area or if not I struggle to see the point of putting a charge on one car park and keeping the rest free. Surely you’d just go and park in the free car park.”

Speaking at a meeting of the policy and resources scrutiny committee on Thursday, Daniel Cowan, leader of the council, said: “It used to be open until midnight. It’s only chargeable until 6pm and we’ll need to take a view whether it’s the sort of place where we might want to put a nominal charge on in the evening to cover the cost.

“It’s an underutilised car park. It’s our only covered car park in the city but because of the lift it needs to be staffed. The only other option is that we shut it at 6pm and then it can’t be used at all which I don’t think would be of benefit to the city.”

Colin Campbell, Conservative councillor for Southchurch ward, said businesses would welcome a late night car park.

In response Mr Cowan said: “It’s my personal intention that the car park is open until midnight but that would create and additional cost pressure.

“I’m looking at how do we do that in the right way. My preference is for it to be open to midnight and for there to be a flat-rate, a nominal fee after 6pm which I think would be a reasonable cost and it would also put up that car park not just to staff but patrons of local restaurants and cinemas.”