内容摘要：Jones said she would name the operator "when I can" but that "at this time we must continue to have discussions with them on a strictly confidential basis".

Jones said she would name the operator "when I can" but that "at this time we must continue to have discussions with them on a strictly confidential basis".

"I have the loveliest garden in town and the lunchtime trade is not there anymore" she said."I am very scared for my future."

"I think we were busier during lockdown, if I am being honest."Her older customers have told her they do not have smartphones so cannot use the parking app.Anne-Marie Addy, 59, said: "It is devastating the town... the place has gone to rack and ruin. It is so quiet here now."

Drivers can park for free for 30 minutes in bays that previously allowed longer spells of either one or two hours of free parking.St Albans council said the charge was £1.25 for one hour and £3.75 for two.

It said one aim of the charges was to encourage active travel, such as cycling and walking "where possible, rather than car use, to improve the local environment".

Elaine Bradford, who runs EB Hypnotherapy in Harpenden, wrote the open letter.All of this comes as the government considers what to do about university funding in England from 2026, in a review likely to conclude next year.

The OfS report acknowledges that the scale of change needed will not be easy.Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, which represents 140 institutions, says universities are already "making tough choices to control costs", adding that the sector "needs to continue evolving".

She says the size of the challenge "is a source of serious concern".The University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich has cut £30m in the last 18 months - almost 10% of its annual spending.