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Agenda item

Public Question Time

To receive any questions relating to items on the Agenda from members of the public and replies thereto.

Minutes:

The following members of the public asked questions in relation to agenda item 6: Car Parking and Permit Tariffs:

 

Bruce Evans

 

What plans are there for St Saviour Street and Market Place Car Parks in Crediton?

 

Crediton needs people to visit the town. It also needs workers to run local businesses.

 

Crediton is a jewel in the crown of the local area and any rises should be proportionate.

 

Nick Quinn (Local Resident)

 

The report proposes options to increase Car Parking and Permit charges but the “Way Forward” section contains errors and does not provide detailed justification.

 

The overnight permit charge was last reviewed, and changed, in 2019 – not 2016.

 

There are no detailed figures to ‘justify’ the very large increases, of 30% for General parking and 58% for Permits.

 

Even these percentages are not properly applied in the options given:

 

Appendix 3 – the Gross Income for Option 1 is 30%, for Option 2 it is 38%.

 

Appendix 4 – the Gross Income for Option 1 is 70%, for Option 2 it is 81%.

 

Stating ‘others have raised parking charges’ is not a justification for this Council to increase their charges, as the MDDC Parking Services have consistently been in surplus.

 

The report suggests that the increases are supported, because a Residents survey had said the Council should protect services. But the report does not make it clear how services will be protected by the increased income from these proposed extra charges.

 

What is missing from this report is:

The actual costs of the service;

The potential surplus generated by each of the increase proposals and

The use to which the expected surplus would be put.

 

My questions are:

 

1. What is the current cost of the Parking Service?

 

2. What will the surplus (income over costs) be for each of the options?

 

3. What will the surplus, from each option, be used for?

 

 

Mrs Kate Clayton-White

 

Our comments relate to the increase in allocated spaces fees detailed in appendix 4 from the report compiled from Cllr Warren and Luke Howard. Our initial euphoria at the Council’s decision to pause the proposed hike in car parking charges had wilted after reading the recent report by yourselves. In the first option you propose to increase the current charges of £425 by 50% to £637.50 with no explanation to justify this increase. You say that costs have risen sharply since Covid. What cost for our car sized piece of tarmac. The second option shows a 6.8% uplift applied to each of the past 7 years where fees stayed the same to generate the fee of £675. This whole idea of adding backdated increases seems decidedly dodgy.

 

The Council chose not to increase our rent during those years so the very idea of squeezing out additional income now by implementing backdated so called charges and seeking to ask current renters to pay for this deficiency in financial planning is grossly unfair. Why is this increase being applied to allocated space fees when pay and display car park costs, dear to maintain, are included in the 6.8% calculation? £675 represents a whopping increase of 59% on current charges.

 

According to the ONS the average CPIH inflation figure for those 7 years was 3% and the RPI inflation figure was 4.45% giving figures of £506 and £550 respectively, far less than your proposed £675. Cash cow and milking are phrases that still seem to apply here. You seek to defend the uplift in charges by referring to a recent resident’s survey where 50% of replies said that the Council should protect services but did this mean that 50% didn’t agree? The flip side of statistics.

 

The feeling we got from the last Council meeting was that an increase in line with inflation would be more appropriate but that increase must be generated from our current fee not from hypothetical inflationary charges. Increases based on the current CPIH and RPI inflation rates would give £465 and £485 respectively rounded up to the nearest £5. These are much fairer and affordable increases than those proposed by yourselves.

 

Allocated spaces are rented by people facing a cost of living crisis, please do not try to sort out your financial woes by voting to implement the unjustifiable and stringent increases outlined in your report. Analysis of the 2022/2023 budget book suggests carparks will generate nearly £490k profit this year. So why do both options result in inflation busting increases yet again and how can you justify increases which include 7 years of questionable backdated charges?

 

Jo Webber

 

We need people to come to Mid Devon. We are being asked to ‘shop local’ but local businesses risk reduced footfall if charges are increased. Remember this! We should be proud of the three market towns and we should work together to promote tourism and the Mid Devon shopping experience. Everyone will be affected. How would you feel if you had to pay the increased charges? Are the proposed increases in line with inflation, if not, why not?

 

Stacey Gray

 

It has previously been noted, by myself, business owners and members of the public that the recently proposed parking charges, would be detrimental to businesses at best and for some financially untenable. It has also been noted that such high charges would act as a deterrent, not as a welcome, to visitors of the town and those that live on the outskirts. This is the opposite of the wider regeneration plan proposed by MDDC. It is my hope today that during this meeting a balanced and reasonable increase is proposed and that as part of that there are also wider considerations. Can I ask that MDDC consider free parking in the evening to encourage and revitalise our much-needed night-time economy? Can I ask that MDDC consider a 30 minute or 1-hour free parking offer to ensure the use of our much need amenities such as the Post Office and Banks remain uncostly to those that need them – including but not exhaustive of businesses and our older community?

 

I understand, that parking charges are seen as a way to bring in much needed revenue, but a vast increase in the long term is short sighted and is counter to encouraging footfall and dwell time to our town. Ultimately, I ask you, is the long-term prosperity of Tiverton a high priority? And if so, I ask that MDDC look at the long-term impact that this could cause and the negative view of our town that would grow. People’s opinions are formed in moment. Let’s aim to make their first and lasting impression one of positivity. One that encourages them to stay longer and plan to return. I know that in itself this is not all that is needed, but it is a link in the chain towards ensuring economic prosperity.

 

So can I end with…. Is this committee and MDDC committed to thinking long term and for the benefit of the next generation? All of your decisions, big or small have a lasting impact. It may only seem like parking charges, but it has a bigger impact that will ripple. And at the moment this only appears to be for the negative. It is my hope that you are all thinking of our community as it stands today and also considering the impact of decisions to our town for the next generation.

 

The Chairman stated that each of the questioners would receive a written response.

 

(The answers to these questions is contained in the separate answer sheet which is being published as a supplement to the minutes).

 

Supporting documents: