The charge for parking between 5pm and midnight will go up from 80p to £1 from April 1 in a number of town centre streets, with the local authority hoping the rises will help bring in an extra £20,000.
Councillor Tony Clarke (Ind, Castle) told th
e Chron: "It is yet another example of this council saying one thing and doing another.
"They are spending huge amounts of money lighting up the Market Square and then they bring in these parking rises which will turn people away from the town at night.
"This may not hit the pubs and clubs in Bridge Street, but it is most certainly going to hurt restaurants and places like Derngate and The Royal, who are all vulnerable in the current financial climate.
"The council aspires to having a sort of European night-time culture but this sort of move is slowly strangling the very sort of night culture they are trying to encourage."
The night-time increase comes on the back of a swingeing 700 per cent increase in the cost of a town centre residents' parking ticket for homeowners who use multi-storey car parks, from £50 per year to £350.
Councillor Trini Crake (Lib Dem, Boughton Green), cabinet member for environment, said: "We review our car parking charges every year and there has been no rise since 2006.
"It is no secret that local authority finances are tight but, because it is our continued priority to encourage the people of Northampton to enjoy our town centre attractions and shop locally, our daytime parking rates will remain the same for yet another year.
"Where else can you park in a town centre to go to the theatre or for dinner for just £1 for seven hours? All of our parking rates are extremely competitive.
"We have also reduced the cost of our seven-day season tickets."
