A ROW has broken out over a bid to take almost £150,000 of Largs parking charge receipts away from the town.

An SNP councillor today slammed an Irvine opponent's call for the revenue from Largs seafront car park to no longer be re-distributed to the benefit of the town.

Funds from the public car park have gone towards providing a new skateboarding facility, the new look Gallowgate Square and Mackerston Swing Park.

But Tory Scott Gallacher wants an end to the cash being ringfenced for such purposes.

SNP man Alan Hill has told the 'News' he is appalled at Cllr Gallacher's proposal, which would see Largs lose around £140,000 of funding each and every year.

He said: It took many years of fighting and eventually, recourse to the law, to get the local car park fund established.

"Over the years it has done a lot of good works in the town including the building of Mackerston swing park, our fabulous new skatepark, the restoration of Gallowgate Square, prom and Christmas lights to name but a few projects.

"The issue of the seafront car park was a running sore for many years until former Provost Bobby Rae and myself decided that enough was enough.

"We obtained a legal opinion which confirmed that the car park had been built with common good funds and was maintained from these funds for most of its existence and that, as a result, the Common Good Fund was entitled to receive the profits."

Councillor Hill has challenged Largs Tory Cllr Tom Marshall to distance himself and his group from the proposal.

He said: “At the time we were battling to secure these funds for the town we had the support of local Tory Richard Wilkinson and it beggars belief that the Tory group led by Largs man Tom Marshall would make such a suggestion.

"I am calling on Tom Marshall to defend the hard fought rights of his constituents in Largs and to distance himself and his group from this ridiculous proposal.

"If this were to succeed the people of Largs would stand to lose around £140k per annum which is currently spent on tourism and grounds maintenance projects throughout the town.”

Cllr Marshall says that his colleague Cllr Gallacher was speaking personally as an Irvine councillor and added that his views were not North Ayrshire Conservative policy.

He said: "I would still be in favour of the car park funds being ringfenced to Largs as it has been of great benefit to the local area.

"The Conservatives have not discussed this matter but I'd imagine we would support the continuation of the funding from Largs car park to support local groups and issues.

"My view is that Cllr Gallacher was speaking solely as a councillor for Irvine and it does not represent the policy of the Conservative group."