BUSINESS has won its first battle in the war against higher car parking charges in Marlow.

Wycombe District Council backed down this week, curbing a hike on long-stay parking charges by 50p but business leaders have vowed to fight on.

The 12-hour parking charge was set to rise from £3.40 to £5 on April 2. But after the council received hundreds of letters of complaint from firms in the town, it decided to reduce the increase to £4.50. While the news has been encouraging to those worried about crippling charges for employees, they say it is not enough and see no justification for any rise in long-stay parking charges.

IQdos, an e-learning consultancy in the High Street, whose clients include Channel Four and Reuters, were a driving force behind the letter writing campaign.

They have threatened to leave the town if charges go up, claiming they will not be able to afford to pay for employees' parking.

Liza Smith, business administrator for the company, said: "We are pleased that it has come down and that they have taken on board our objections but we can't really see the justification for a rise in the first place. The cost is still a concern and we are still considering leaving the town."

Cllr Chris Oliver, chairman of Wycombe District Council's planning environment and transportation committee, said: "This goes to show that we do listen to public opinion and are prepared to amend policy if it is in the interest of the local economy. Although we are not responsible for providing companies with parking for their employees, neither do we wish to deliberately harm business interests."

IQdos and Marlow Chamber of Trade will be meeting today to discuss their next move.