Cash-strapped Stroud District Council is considering imposing charges at council car parks which are currently free.

It is part of a series of proposals including contactless payment, electric vehicle charging points, better bicycle parking and free parking after 3pm.

Stroud district councillors will consider a report later this month which will start a consultation period on introducing charges, along with a raft of improvements to benefit town centres.

Stroud District Council currently operates 37 car parks, of which only nine charge a fee. The car parks cost the council around £50,000 a year to maintain.

The council says it commissioned an independent report and research which shows that charging for car parks can increase turnover and make more spaces available for shoppers and visitors throughout the day.

Alongside the consideration for the proposed new charges, planned improvements to SDC-owned car parks include installing electric vehicle charging points in Stroud, Nailsworth and Wotton-under-Edge; improving the provision of cycle racks in each town; and installing payment machines that will accept contactless credit and debit cards as well as the current options of paying by cash, text or smart phone app.

Other proposals include introducing one `free after 3pm' scheme in car parks in Dursley, Nailsworth, Wotton-under-Edge, Stonehouse and Painswick and increasing the maximum stay in Stonehouse and Stroud to 72 hours to support rail commuters.

Parking permits will be available in all long stay car parks to allow frequent users to park at discounted rates, short stay car parks will have their maximum stay increased to three hours, and all the SDC-owned car parks will remain free to use after 5pm.

Stroud District Council's leader Cllr Doina Cornell said: "It's important that these proposals go out for consultation and that's what we will be doing later this month. The suggested charges compare favourably with other districts, and relatively low charges should help make more spaces available for shoppers and visitors, in turn increasing footfall. The health of our market towns is important to all of us."

On June 14, Strategy & Resources Committee members will consider the recommendation to enter a statutory consultation period.