18% rise in parking fees is under attack

Councillors have told Arun District Council's member responsible for the fees about their concerns for inflation-busting rises of up to 18.6 per cent.

Cllr Paul Wotherspoon, who will make the final decision, assured them he was listening to everyone's views.

"Nothing has been ruled in and nothing has been ruled out at this stage," he stated.

"No decision has yet been taken. We are receiving representations at the moment and I will be making a decision after the consultation period ends."

The Observer previously reported that Cllr Wotherspoon, the Arun cabinet member for the environment, will be meeting chamber of commerce representatives in Bognor next Wednesday, March 4.

This is the day before comments about the proposals have to be made.

Arun wants to push up its car parking charges from April 1. The proposals will see an annual permit for the Fitzleet multi-storey site rise from 88 to 100.

Increases would also be imposed on other town centre locations such as Lyon Street, Hothamton and the Regis Centre.

But the biggest increase would the 18.6 per cent for the summer permits at Hotham Park, Gloucester Road and Rock Gardens in Bognor, West Park in Aldwick and Felpham's Culver Road.

Cllr Simon McDougall (Lib Dem, Bersted) said: "Putting up car parking charges would be a tax on jobs. The one thing we have to do in Bognor, Arundel and Littlehampton is to keep our town centres open for business.

What we don't want to be doing is increasing our car parking charges and discouraging people from shopping in the towns."

Cllr James Walsh (Lib Dem, Littlehampton Beach) said town centres were in a precarious position as shoppers cut back their spending.

"This rise must be revised. We can't allow an increase of this level to go through," he stated.

"It's outrageous and may well be the death knell of our small shops and even the bigger ones."

Cllr Jim Brooks (Ind, Bognor Marine) said: "It is highly irresponsible and fundamentally wrong if we are even thinking about raising car parking charges in the near future."

He called for a complete review of the occupation of car parks and for their charges to be linked to that usage.

A period of free parking in the early mornings would kickstart the town centres by bringing people into the area, he stated.

Cllr Ricky Bower (Con, East Preston) said any free parking would mean the costs of running the sites would have to be met from another source.

He stated: "There is no such thing as a free car parking space. I have not heard any ideas about where the money will come from if we reduce our car parking income.

"But I don't believe that reducing our charges is going to have much effect on the town centres."

Cllr Gill Brown (Con, Aldwick East), Arun's leader, said the car parks had contributed 626,000 into the council's finances in the current year.

Just over 200,000 of this surplus went towards the town centres.

Another large chunk was spent on economic regeneration, she stated.

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