THERE were calls for the resignation of a town mayor and his deputy as traders hit out over controversial car-parking charges in Monmouthshire.

Angry Caldicot traders attended a town council meeting on Wednesday. They called for the mayor and his deputy to stand down because of a failure to represent their views as part of the consultation on county council car-park charging.

Colin Harris, a Caldicot trader, brought a petition signed by 41 town shopkeepers to the meeting.

It calls for the mayoral resignation and complains the council never responded to Monmouthshire county council over car- parking charges. Mr Harris said: "There is a lack of confidence. Traders were not represented and feel let down."

Mayor of Caldicot Paul Tidmarsh said: "I am not standing down as I have done nothing wrong. It's no good shouting about this now, we should be looking forward, not back."

Deputy mayor Joanne Daniels said a letter should have been sent and that she took on the responsibility for it. She said: "I do apologise for that. "All I can say is that I was caught up in London at the time of the bombings and the letter was not sent."

But she said the responsibility for Caldicot's lack of representation is shared.

She said: "Other towns' chambers of trade sent individual letters and petitions. It is not just the town council's job to make Caldicot's voice heard."

At the same meeting Mr Tidmarsh asked for the council's agreement to put £2,000 towards getting a judicial review to appeal against the county council's decision on car parking.

He argues the consultation process was inadequate and revenue driven. The town council will decide whether to go ahead with this next week. Mr Tidmarsh said: "People complaining about the letter are missing the point. The council would not have taken any more notice of it than of the thousands of other objections, and that's what a judicial review will address."

Mr Harris said: "This is closing the stable door after the horse has bolted. They know they are in the wrong and won't admit it."