Traders left “incensed” by three East Barnet councillors who failed to vote against new parking charges last week say they don’t know who to trust.

Conservative councillors Robert Rams, Joanna Tambourides and Barry Evangeli all promised to “do everything in their power” to fight cabinet plans to introduce charges in the Church Hill Road car park at a residents association meeting last month.

But at a full council meeting last week, the trio each failed to vote in favour of a Labour motion to scrap the proposals.

Rob Pugh, owner of Abbey Fire Alarms in Church Hill Road, collected a petition of more than 3,000 signatures from shopkeepers and customers who believe the proposed charges would be the “death of the village”.

He said: “I was absolutely disgusted - I feel really let down. They allowed their political agenda to come before their residents. They were there on our behalf to try and stop these charges coming in but they have backed their own agenda.

“Cllr Rams says he’s still working on our behalf but I don’t know if I can trust him. He said his vote wouldn’t have made a difference but if that’s the case, what’s the point in having one at all.”

The motion to scrap the plans failed by 23 votes to 30, with Cllrs Tambourides and Rams momentarily ducking out of the meeting while the count was taken and Cllr Evangeli abstaining.

Cllrs Tambourides and Evangeli have remained quiet on the issue but Cllr Rams, speaking on behalf of his party colleagues, claims the group is working behind the scenes to have the plans abolished.

In a statement, he said: “The vote last week was nothing more than political grandstanding by the Labour party. We are working with the cabinet member to get the charges removed and we hope to update everyone very soon.

“The results of the consultation are still being analysed. The East Barnet councillors prefer to get on with the jobs their constituents want them to do rather than cheap political point scoring.”

However, some traders believe the councillors are not getting on with what their constituents want them to do and feel aggrieved by their lack of action at last week’s vote.

John Rodd, owner of Village Jewellers in Church Hill Road since 1988 said: “It is all very well saying they are still supporting us but if there is another vote what happened then?

“If he has loyalties to his party now, how is that going to change when it comes to actually making the decision? We are a small village and we are fortunate we have a busy trade but these charges would knock us for six – that would be the end of it.”