Hike in parking charges is ‘bad news’ for Melksham says local MP 

LOCAL MP Michelle Donelan has said that Wiltshire Council’s plans to introduce Sunday and Bank Holiday parking charges is ‘deeply worrying and would be bad news for Melksham’.

A proposal to increase parking season permits by up to 100% has also come under fire from the MP, who has said that the idea shows ‘short-term thinking’ and that Wiltshire Council is ‘out of touch’ with the town, residents and the business community.

“The issue of parking cost and provision is one that affects all the market towns that I represent,” says Michelle Donelan MP, “but to differing degrees. I have campaigned on the issue of parking and parking charges for many years, from well before I was elected as the local MP and the recent council proposal on parking charges and their refusal to listen to the concerns of businesses and residents left me with no option but to call a Parliamentary debate.

“Parking prices have already increased this year after they went up in February – which I fought against but to no avail. Those increases mean a total increase in the last two and a half years of up to 15%. It is the new proposals however that are deeply worrying and would be bad news for Melksham.

“Melksham has lower prices than some of the towns I represent but the latest council proposal is to increase parking season permits by up to 100% and to introduce charges on Sundays and Bank Holidays. This would severely damage our high streets across Wiltshire and is beyond short-sighted. I also do not think it is right to introduce Sunday parking charges given the vast majority of our churches do not have parking facilities. This change will make it harder for people to go to church from a financial perspective and cannot be dressed up as anything but a tax on worship.

“Taxpayers and consumers should always get value for money. Melksham is a small and beautiful market town and one that is brilliantly placed for businesses, however the price for parking should reflect the relatively small offering, which is not on a par with that of a city or a large town, particularly on Sundays. People will only pay for what they get; residents and employees are not asking to pay nothing, but they are asking for a fair parking and permit price.

“We all know that difficult decisions have to be made in politics, indeed, MPs know that even more than most and sometimes cuts and price increases are the only option. However, we must always have red lines and make decisions based on the will of the community and its interests, the local economy and the long-term plan for an area. These must be our priorities, otherwise what are we in politics for?

“Hiking parking charges again does not do that, but instead smacks of short-term thinking that is simply out of touch with the town, its residents and the business community. Why risk our market towns becoming dormitory commuter areas when, with just a little creative thinking, they could become vibrant business centres and attractive places for people to build their businesses and to work.

“I do fully appreciate that the council uses parking revenue to subsidise rural bus services. I am not thinking for one moment that we should take away these valuable bus services that act as lifelines. However damaging our high street to pay for these services is not the answer.

“I have long argued for the council to look at smarter and more sustainable models like regional bus contracts to fulfil these needs, rather than rely on parking revenue, which is not working, given a number of services are being ceased every year. Plus, we should be tackling the problem of a lack of spaces, to bring in more revenue without having price increases. The Sunday and bank holiday charges are expected to raise only £78,000 across Wiltshire – which will not save all our bus services in the long run, but may kill off our town centres. In addition and most importantly, starving towns of customers and encouraging business to leave, only serves to reduce the business rates pot and thus is not making any financial sense in the long term.

“As an environmentalist I am fully supportive of cutting down on vehicle use, but we simply do not have the cycle routes and sustainable transport network to enable people to leave the car to go to work or to shop in or around Melksham, this is needed first; currently, residents have no option but to pay or go elsewhere. I would also argue that when buying your daily paper costs less than parking, someone is more likely to go to a supermarket just outside of the town, where parking is free than come into town. It is shortsighted to forget that when in town people buy other things, indeed the beauty of the high street is that when we go to buy one thing we see others, which helps to support the economy.”