WESTBURY has done all it can to fight the car parking charges imposed by Wiltshire Council on the town and there are no further options for the town council to explore, says the group set up to address the town’s car parks.
The town council’s car parks working group recommend that the town council take no further action until 2014, when Wiltshire Council will review its policy.
The town has been fighting the charges since they were first proposed, and has continued to do so since their introduction in 2011. Traders, councillors, and shoppers have all voiced their objections, and most recently a petition signed by 3,570 people was presented to Wiltshire Council in April.
But now the working group says that all avenues have been explored, leaving them “frustrated” by Wiltshire Council’s refusal to budge.
The recommendation from the working group, which was due to be considered by the town council this week says, “Having considered the figures for the last year for town centre car parks, and having received further confirmation that Wiltshire Council will not change its policy and will not offer us any different deal on the management of town centre car parks as set out in their existing policy, we believe we have done our best to try to achieve a better compromise for Westbury town centre, but are frustrated by Wiltshire Council’s refusal to change their policy.
“It is, therefore, recommended that the town council take no further action until 2014 when Wiltshire Council will further review its policy.”
David Jenkins, member of the car parks working group and president of Westbury Chamber of Commerce said, “The administration had fixed the policy until 2014, and I didn’t think they would change. But we said you have to try.
“We went and put the petition together. Unfortunately for the community we’ve not succeeded but we’ve tried, which was the name of the game.
“We went through the figures, the details and as a result we’ve taken it so far, but to go any further would be bashing our heads against a brick wall.”
Mayor of Westbury, cllr Sue Ezra, who is also a member of the car parks working group said, “We are frustrated, right from the word ‘go’, before the charges even came in, we asked to be put in band 4 [a band with lower car parking charges]. They wouldn’t even listen then. We have tried all avenues.”
Since free one-hour parking was scrapped by Wiltshire Council, traders, shoppers, and councillors have protested at the detrimental effect the charges are having on the town.
In particular, councillors asked for Westbury to be moved from its current classification in band 3 to band 4. Along with Westbury, band 3 includes towns such as Warminster, Devizes, Malmesbury and Marlborough. Councillors have always believed that Westbury has been treated unfairly in its classification, given the limited economic strength of the town centre.
