People driving into Bath in the early evenings will have to stump up more for the cost of parking in the city.
The charges for both Avon Street and Charlotte Street car parks have been extended and increased, meaning there is no longer a reduction for those coming in to go for a meal or a trip to the theatre.
Previously drivers who arrived in Charlotte Street after 6pm had to pay just £1.50 to leave their car for the rest of the evening.
However, under the new pricing structure, they are having to fork out £5.40, because there is a minimum four-hour stay.
In Avon Street you now have to pay for a minimum of two hours up to 8pm, which comes in at £3.10.
Bath and North East Somerset Council has defended the decision, saying it is having to make tough decisions to try to balance the books.
But others are concerned it could put people off coming into the city in the evenings at a time when businesses are already struggling.
Director of Bath Chamber of Commerce and Initiative in B&NES Ian Bell said he could see both sides of the argument.
He said: "There is an element of sympathy for the council because they need to raise money somehow and clearly car parking is one of the ways they can go that.
"Now the issue is always what the impact is going to be. Will it actually stop people coming or won't it? Will the extra £4 be the breaking point? We just hope not.
"The quality of the offering in the theatre, various other cultural offerings, the restaurants, are top quality and so I'd be optimistic that people will still come to Bath to enjoy them rather than going elsewhere where the offering is nowhere near as pleasurable."
The increased parking charges is just another blow for the city's independent restaurants, which have already been hit by the arrival of a number of big chains.
Jonathan Overton, chairman of the Association of Bath Restaurants and owner of Sally Lunn's, said there was a real risk the city could lose some of its top eateries if something was not done to protect them.
He said: "This change to the parking charges is yet another issue but it is impossible to ignore council budgets that are so squeezed and the almost impossible choices facing our councillors.
"But I worry that if we do not protect the hospitality sector in Bath a great many jobs will go and much of the wealth that used to stay in our city will find its way to the hedge funds and bankers that own most of the major chain restaurants."
Members of the Bath Spa Band tend to park in Charlotte Street car park for their twice-weekly rehearsals at the Elim Church.
Band secretary John Light, who travels in from Farmborough, said they had all been hit badly by the new charges and he had personally witnessed people refusing to pay the extra cost and simply driving away.
He said: "This change in parking charges for the two hours prior to 8pm represents a very unfair increase in costs for members of the public who visit Bath in the evenings and support local events and commerce and can only be detrimental to the local economy."
Mr Light has written to B&NES leader Councillor Paul Crossley and Councillor Roger Symonds, cabinet member for transport, but has not yet had a response.
A B&NES spokesman said: "As part of the council's budget, we were clear that some difficult decisions would need to be taken to achieve our three priorities; protecting services to the public, no increases in council tax, and investing in homes and jobs for local people.
"Whilst we have been able to freeze the majority of parking charges for a third consecutive year in recognition of the need to support business and tourism during challenging times for the national economy, the £1.50 after 6pm tariff has been removed from our car park pricing structure at Avon Street and Charlotte Street."
He added that people could use park-and-rides, which ran until 8.30pm, on-street parking and short-stay car parks.
