CHURCH congregations in Westbury say they are concerned that Sunday parking charges will have a ‘dramatic effect’ on church go-ers and communities in the town.
They are asking for an exemption to be put in place and are seeking help from councillor Gordon King.
Whilst implementing the new car parking charges for Sundays, Wiltshire Council has agreed two hours’ free parking before motorists have to pay, but the churches say that two hours free is not enough.
Cllr King invited Rev. Ian McManus of West End Baptist Church and Rev. Rhona Floate from All Saints Church to discuss the matter saying, “It’s not just a worrying time, it will certainly have a dramatic effect on church go-ers. Many people in Ian’s congregation and also in Rhona’s have phoned me and asked ‘What can we do about this?’
“We have to express sympathy with Wiltshire Council, as they need to raise revenue because council services are under enormous pressure because of the behaviour of government, but nevertheless there are ways in which to raise revenue and not raise revenue.
“A key plank of the council’s own business plan is to build and sustain communities. How can they do that by imposing a charge that will be damaging towards them, particularly church communities in this respect? It’s contrary to their own business plan.”
Rev. Ian McManus said, “I was worried at first on a personal level because I’m there from 9.30am on a Sunday until about 1pm, where two hours will not be sufficient. But also I was worried for the rest of the church. We have a number of elderly people who can still drive and come from the other side of town, who need to park.
“The service is at least an hour and a half and then there is tea and coffee afterwards, which will surpass the two hours given. We are now concerned at what they might have to face because of this charge.”
Rev. Rhona Floate said, “For some, church is one of the key places where people meet others, sometimes it is the only opportunity in their week. As they become older, some become more isolated and being part of that community is important.
“It’s a concern for people who are on low fixed incomes, which some of them are. It creates something that then is chipping away and makes them think, ‘maybe I can’t afford this anymore’ missing out on important spiritual and social uplift.”
Cllr King said, “Beyond the church, Sunday is a time for visiting, it’s a time for community and people to come into the town for a whole host of reasons. There is a large elderly community and people come to visit them and this becomes one more barrier to stop them from doing so. It then becomes damaging to the churches, families, business etc. My solution is to abandon the idea, or at least to allow exemptions for such purposes.”
They suggested a three-hour free parking period, which would be more sufficient for the length of Sunday service or a complete exemption, both of which they say will then encourage longer stays at church, benefitting social interaction.
Cllr King said, “Regrettably, it is a delegated cabinet member decision. The town council will make comments, as will the churches and church go-ers; the more people who make direct comment to Bridget Wayman, cabinet member for highways, transport and waste, the better it will be.
“It’s an important issue as it has been raised by the people, it harms what they do but also damages communities which are supposed to be the pillar of the council’s business plan and they need to think about this again.”
To make your comment about Sunday parking charges, write to Bridget Wayman at bridget.wayman@wiltshire.gov.uk.
