The battle over Swale council's budget comes to a head tonight.

The ruling Rainbow coalition has come under fire from the Conservatives who claim it has squandered millions of pounds of council cash on "vanity projects" and is now £4 million short.

The Tories are also trying to stop the introduction of evening car park charges after 6pm across the borough in Sittingbourne, Sheerness and Faversham.

At the moment, The Forum shopping centre car park in Sittingbourne is the only place motorists have to pay after 6pm.

Conservative leader Cllr Alan Horton (Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch) said: "In opposition, coalition partners consistently opposed rises in car parking charges and argued for free parking at the weekends.

"Now, they are imposing massive hikes in car parking charges, damaging our our night-time economy and our already struggling High Street businesses. They have imposed year-on-year council tax increases on hard-pressed residents suffering from the cost of living crisis

"This is an administration led by vanity projects and dogma not by a desire to serve the people of Swale.”

He warned that after April the council will have 21 fewer staff (8 per cent down) putting further pressure on services.

Cllr Horton added: "The Rainbow Coalition of Swale Independents, Labour, Green and Liberals has received almost £80 million from the Conservative government in additional funding throughout its term.

"That’s almost four times the council’s annual budget. And yet it has overspent by £4 million this year and needs to take desperate measures to stay afloat.”

He said hundreds of thousands of pounds of tax-payers' money had been "wasted" fighting planning appeals which the council had gone on to lose.

"This is like when the last Labour government left a note saying ‘Sorry, there is no money left’. The Labour and Swale Independent Alliance note would read ‘Sorry. We’ve spent everything and, in fact, we're £4 million short.’ "

The Tories will be tabling amendments at Swale House in Sittingbourne. The say forcing developers to pay twice as much for providing dustbins for new homes will raise more than £50,000 a year.

The Conservatives will also fight proposed increases in brown bin charges for garden waste and football pitch fees. Cllr Mike Whiting (Teynham and Lynsted) wants to maintain grants for rural street lighting.

The meeting starts at 7pm and can be viewed remotely.

The new parking fees would include short stay charges rising by 5p to 65p for 30 minutes; 10p to £1.30 for an hour; 20p to £2.60 for two hours and 40p to £5.20 for up to four hours.

In Sittingbourne, the changes would apply to car parks in Albany Road, Central Avenue, Crown Quay Lane, The Forum, The Swallows, Swale House (weekends only) and Station Street.

In Sheerness, the new fees would cover car parks in Rose Street, Trinity Place and Beachfields.

In Faversham, it would include Central car park and Institue Road.

Fees at long-stay car parks including the Promenade in Leysdown would increase by the same amount but with the charge to stay for more than four hours going up by 60p to £6.60.

The cost of parking in the Bourne Place multi-storey in Sittingbourne would also increase. But Light Cinema-goers can claim free parking all day Sundays and after 6pm Monday to Saturday.

Malcolm Moore, vice-chairman of the Sittingbourne Society, said: “The society strongly opposes the council’s proposal to extend car parking charges in Sittingbourne between 6pm and midnight.

“This will have a devastating effect on local community organisations which use meeting facilities in the town centre during the evenings and will also seriously affect the cinema, town centre pubs, eating places and the evening economy generally.

“We appreciate the need for the council to make financial savings and to generate revenue but we would hope it could achieve these objectives without harming community organisations and commercial enterprises whose wellbeing relies on the support of local towns people.”

Labour councillor Ghlin Whelan who represents Chalkwell ward which includes the High Street, said: "I don’t think the increases will affect the town’s night life.

"I think everyone is expecting price increases because of the current economic climate. It is something they will accept."

He added: “The council needs extra money from somewhere and so far our car parks haven’t been targeted. They’re still priced as some of the lowest in Kent.”

This morning a prankster had attached a million pound note to the price board at Cockleshell car park in Sittingbourne.

Recent figures showed Swale lost £222,702 on parking between 2017 and 2022, the only council in Kent to post a loss. Canterbury, in contrast, made the most, raking in £17.9 million.