Calls for rethink on Wiltshire Council’s car parking charges

WILTSHIRE Council has responded to claims by a senior government minister that town centres are being ruined by high parking charges. But his views are being backed by local councillors who say its time for a rethink on the council’s car parking strategy.

Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities accused local councils of ruining small towns and undermining economic growth with high parking charges and over-zealous traffic wardens.

His comments came off the back of a record income for local authorities from parking with nationally £635million made from charges and fines.

In Wiltshire £7.6million was made by the council which represented a £4.9m profit. This placed Wiltshire as the 11th most profitable local authority from parking excluding the London Boroughs. This places rural Wiltshire above large city councils including Birmingham, Liverpool, Bristol and Sheffield.

Eric Pickles said, “The quality of parking in town centres is important; it should be convenient, safe and secure. Parking charges should be appropriate and not undermine the vitality of town centres and local shops, and parking enforcement should be proportionate.

“Anti-car measures are driving motorists into the arms of internet retailers and out-of-town superstores, taking their custom with them.

“Over-zealous parking wardens have inflicted real damage on local economies and given many towns and councils a bad name. Town Halls need to ditch their anti-car dogma. Making it easier to park will help support local shops, local jobs and tourism.”

In response many councillors from Melksham have backed the thoughts of Eric Pickles and called for changes to parking charges to boost Melksham. 

Melksham North councillor Pat Aves said, “There is nothing I would like better for Melksham than the return of one hour free parking. The cost would be minimal but everyone would benefit – including the reputation of the council as a democratic organisation that listens and cares about what the people of Wiltshire want.

“Any increase in charges would have been unpopular, but the jump from one hour free and 20p per hour thereafter to 40p for one hour was very ill-advised for the council and very unfair to the public. I would ask Jane Scott [leader of Wiltshire Council] to please listen, and take action to help us all.”

Wiltshire’s only UKIP councillor and Melksham Central representative, David Politt said, “I am confident that if this is ‘government policy’ that Jane Scott OBE and her ruling group will do as they have always done and adopt and implement the policy.

“The voters in Wiltshire have realised by now that the ruling group in Wiltshire Council’s first priority is to tow the party line.

To quote Jane’s own words back at her: “It’s extremely satisfying to know that what we’re doing in Wiltshire is in tune with central government.” Lets hope that this is government policy so we can look forward to the first hour free parking in Wiltshire.”

Paul Carter, councillor for Melksham Without Parish Council also had suggestions to help improve Melksham. He said, “Every effort should be made to make shopping easier, from public transport to car parking charges and pedestrianisation. Just look at Chippenham where you can walk round at ease with no cars.

“Melksham is slightly different where you have to drive into town for a central car park.  However, with three car parks around the town within walking distance of the shops I propose the outside car parks have two hours’ free parking to allow for all your shopping, with the inside car park charging from the start. This would reduce the traffic flow through the town.

“Now that I am on the parish council I will be pushing for this remedy to keep our town centre alive; remember the old saying,  ‘where there’s a crowd there’s business!’”

In response to the comments made by Eric Pickles and the councillors, John Thomson, Wiltshire Council cabinet member responsible for car parking said, “Boosting Wiltshire’s economy is one of the council’s key priorities and so far, despite the national economic situation, it is faring relatively well. It is always regrettable when a local business closes, however the retail investment Melksham has attracted in recent years compares very favourably with neighbouring towns.

“Car parking cannot be looked at in isolation which is why the council services responsible for these areas work closely together. In addition, after working with Melksham retailers and the town council, we introduced a scheme over the summer which allowed people to claim their first hour of parking back.

“Any excess money made from parking charges is used to subsidise local buses. Lots of people in Wiltshire rely on buses to get to and from towns to do their shopping or get to work, either because they do not have cars or only have one per household. Putting the money back into this vital service will not only help these families, but also local businesses.

“We will be reviewing our car parking policies next year, and any comments we receive from businesses and the public will be taken into account.”