PARKING meters are making a staggering £150,000 profit EVERY month for Manchester council.

Figures seen by the Manchester Evening News show town hall chiefs expect a parking services `surplus' of £1.87m for 2007-08.

The news comes after a massive public outcry forced the council to scrap plans to charge motorists for parking on streets in the evenings and on Sundays.

A town hall spokesman said the money would be spent on improving transport and the environment - including £300,000 for the free Metroshuttle bus service.

But Sean Corker, of the Association of British Drivers, said: "This is just part and parcel of the anti-car climate we see at the moment which has been going on for 10 years.

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"Everyone is prepared to pay a fair price for parking, but councils should not be treating it as a source of revenue."

The surplus, which represents the money put into meters minus the cost of running the system, is contained in budget papers drawn up ahead of the new financial year.

By law, profits from parking can only be used to fund improvements to transport, highways and the environment - or for extra `off-street' car parks.

But - given recent rows over parking in Manchester - the profit level is still likely to prove controversial.

The M.E.N. revealed last year how parking chiefs had drawn up plans to start charging motorists for on-street parking after 6pm and on Sundays. That would have meant motorists having to pay up to £2.20 an hour for something which had previously been free.

More than 3,000 people contacted the M.E.N. to register their opposition to the plans - which were eventually dumped by the council. Free on-street parking on Saturdays was scrapped in 2003.

The council has also been criticised in the past for putting up the price of its meters. In 2002 prices nearly doubled from £1.20 an hour.

But town hall chiefs say they work to a `high-turnover' strategy, aimed at keeping the city moving. They prefer motorists to use the 20,000 off-street parking places rather than clog up roads. They also believe the level of charge should reflect the convenience of parking near Manchester attractions and shopping centres.

A council spokesman said: "Strict rules govern how we can use the money raised through on-street parking and any surplus raised is used to fund transport, highways and environmental improvements.

"This includes a £300,000 contribution towards the Metroshuttle, a figure which we feel represents a prudent use of public money for a popular service which we co-fund with the GMPTE and a range of private-sector partners."

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