CHANGES in the running of Oxford’s park-and-ride sites spelling the return of parking charges may be “the least bad option”, according to bus users.

Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council announced on Monday a deal under which the county manages three city-owned park-and-rides, at Pear Tree, Redbridge and Seacourt, would end in October due to financial problems.

Car parking at the three sites, and the two owned by the county council at Thornhill and Water Eaton, has been free since 2008, but County Hall’s 2011-12 budget included a plan to bring in charges to help balance its books.

In a joint statement issued by the councils on Monday, city council deputy leader Ed Turner warned that the return of fees to help cover the £700,000-a-year running costs for Pear Tree, Redbridge and Seacourt looked inevitable.

Hugh Jaeger, Oxford group chairman of Bus Users UK, said: “If £700,000 was cut from local bus subsidies, instead of from park-and-ride, it would increase car use, harm our environment and cause hardship to many villagers who do not or cannot use cars.

“Cuts hardly ever help public transport. However, reintroducing park-and-ride parking charges may be the least bad option.”

The county council said while it intended to continue free parking at Thornhill and Water Eaton, charges for long-stay parking by commuters and holidaymakers catching coaches to London or airports were on the cards.

The city will also lose a £250,000-a-year subsidy it was receiving from the county to cover revenue lost when the £1-a-day parking fees ended in 2008.

A county council spokesman said: “We anticipate any new charge would be minimal.”