CONTROVERSIAL car parking charges could be on the cards for Forest towns as councillors look to freeze Council Tax for the next four years.

Ending free parking is one of a wide range of tough new measures being considered by the Forest of Dean District Council as it looks to slash £2.3 million from the budget.

Finance chiefs are expecting to learn exactly how much government grant they will get today or tomorrow.

But the budget working group has been working on the assumption that the council will have to make cuts of at least £2.3 million.

Measures range from raising £350,000 a year through car parking charges to axing the chairman's chauffeur-driven car and stopping sandwiches before night meetings.

The council also hopes to save £90,000 by finding a management comp-to run its leisure centres and £86,000 by dumping respons-for toilets and cemeteries.

Pest control charges will come under the spotlight again as councillors try to save the £56,000 costs of the service.

Dean Heritage Centre is among the organisations that would lose vital grants under the four-year plan which will stop arts funding all together.

There will also be major changes at the Coleford HQ where a number of senior staff will eventually lose their jobs in a management shake-up which will save £200,000.

Shorter opening hours at the Coleford HQ will save £80,000 and councillor allow-will stay the same for four years.

Staff earning £21,000 or more will have their pay frozen until 2013 under the draft budget which will also see two jobs go in planning and building control.

Many of the savings will be made through internal changes but plans for car parks, leisure centres, toilets, cemeteries and other public services could spark controversy.

Both the Independent and Labour opposition say they fear for the future of the council- run leisure centres which were once rated the best in the West and jewels in the Forest crown.

Independent leader Norman Stephens said: "This is bad news for our leisure centres which were once considered shining examples.

"I know we are facing difficult times but I would have thought that they could have followed the private sector by asking those earning over £40,000 to take a pay cut and reducing the number of councillors from 48 to 30.

"A lot of this is tinkering at the edges and I am disappointed they did not do more to look at one of our biggest costs – waste collection."

Labour leader Bruce Hogan fears at least one leisure centre will close and is particularly concerned that the district's refusal to invest money set aside in the capital budget to bring Heywood up to disability legislation standards will make it particularly vul-.

He will be drawing up alternative proposals before the final budget meeting in February.

"These proposals were drawn up by a single party group and completely ignore other working groups operating in this council," he said.

"They are a deeply reactive set of proposals and the Labour group will be giving our considered view and working towards mitigating the effects over the next few weeks."

Councillor Brian Robinson, cabinet member for efficient council and finance, said the budget will allow them to freeze council tax for four years.

"This recognises the tough financial situation facing many people at the moment," he said.

"Through working differently we believe we can make these savings while minimising the impact of them on local people. In this budget we have strived to protect the services which were most valued by the public during our recent consultation."

The draft budget goes before Cabinet tonight and a joint meeting of the scrutiny committees on January 13.