CAR parking charges look set to be introduced in Westbury next year, after Westbury Town Council unanimously rejected a “ridiculous” offer from Wiltshire Council to purchase free car parking spaces in the town at £500 each per annum.
Under a previous arrangement with the former district council, it cost Westbury Town Council £8,300 per annum to provide 2 hours free car parking in 122 spaces in the town. The town council is currently paying £16,600 to Wiltshire Council for one hour’s free parking. Under Wiltshire Council’s new demands, at £500 per space this would equate to £61,000 for free parking in the High Street and Warminster Road car parks – something that Westbury Town Council is not prepared to accept.
As a result, under Wiltshire Council’s proposals, it looks like free car parking will be scrapped completely from April 2011, with drivers being expected to pay in the region of 40p for one hour and £1 for 2 hours.
Cllr Stephen Andrews, chair of the town council’s car parks working group, told the meeting of Westbury Town Council on Monday 1st November that Wiltshire Council’s offer was “clearly just a way of making us accept their charges.” He added, “And I think unfortunately that is what we have to do. Any adverse effect it has on the town falls squarely on Wiltshire Council’s shoulders.”
Cllr Russell Hawker added his disgust with Wiltshire Council. “This town council cannot afford £60,000,” he said. “The reason they don’t get it is because they are not listening to us. They are not listening, they are not understanding that the strength of the town centre is so weak, people are not prepared to pay money for a short period to shop. The whole thing is bonkers and we have to force the issue in refusing to pay.”
Deep concern
Traders in the town have already expressed deep concern for the vibrancy of the town centre since free parking in the High Street and Warminster Road car parks was reduced from two hours to one hour in July, sentiments Westbury Town Council voiced in their response to Wiltshire Council’s car parking consultation.
Cllr Mike Cuthbert-Murray said, “Speaking as a shop keeper in the High Street, come down at 8.30am, 9.30am, the place is empty. Ever since these new charges came in, people are not driving into the high street anymore, they’re walking in. A lot of traders are not on their knees, they’re beyond that now.”
Angry reaction
The town council decided against buying a small proportion of the spaces. Cllr Andrews explained, “To buy fewer spaces would be a waste of time. £16,000 would have brought us so few spaces that people would have come in and not been able to find a free space – they might try once or twice but not bother again.”
Westbury is not the only town to respond angrily to Wiltshire Council’s proposals. Warminster Town Council chose not to answer Wiltshire Council’s car parking consultation questions, instead sending a strongly worded letter deeming the consultation to be flawed. Westbury Town Council has since resolved to write to Wiltshire Council in support of this response.
Westbury Town Council also believe that Westbury is being treated unfairly in the proposals, as it has been placed in Band 3 along with other market towns, whereas councillors believe the limited economic strength of the town centre means it should be placed in Band 4, which would result in lower charges.
Cllr Andrews said, “We are still lobbying them, in terms of our response to the suggestion to get Westbury placed in Band 4, which would a cheaper band in terms of car parking. The base would go down to around 20p which would be a bit more manageable, but still not good.”
