Council review of off-street parking

Among it suggestions and proposals are:

p The abolition of the free three-hour concession to disabled badge holders

p The phasing-out of the discounts offered with season tickets

p The end of refundable parking charges at the Summerfields Sports centre.

The newly-published review was presented to members of the council's regeneration and environment scrutiny committee on Tuesday evening as a first step on its journey to the Cabinet where it is likely to be adopted at the next meeting on Monday, November 29.

The most controversial element in the report is likely to be the suggestion that the three-hour free off-street parking concession made to disabled-badge holders is junked in preference to an increased number of dedicated disabled-badge bays within the council's car parks.

The report points out neither Rother nor Eastbourne councils provide the three-hour concession, that possession of a disabled-badge is not indicative of specific financial hardship and that the majority of local authorities now charge disabled-badge holders.

It goes on to recommend a review of the number of dedicated disabled-badge bays and an increase in them if necessary. After that, the three-hour concession would apply only in those bays.

If no bays were available, disabled-badge holders would have to pay the same charges as anyone else.

Season tickets are recommended for a 'moderate increase'.

The standard annual would rise from 520 to 580 while a weekly season ticket would go from 15 to 20.

In 2001 the Cabinet agreed that season ticket charges should increase year on year to reduce the discounts they offered in comparison with pay-and-display charges.

The approach is designed to encourage commuters who do not need their cars for work to find alternative means of travel.

As far as concessionary parking is concerned, the report highlights the 'significant loss' to the council stemming from VAT payments to the Inland Revenue from parking charges refunded to users of the Summerfields sports centre.

To offset this, the report recommends what it calls a 'nominal' but 'non-refundable' charge of 10p for one hour, 20p for two hours, 30p for three and 50p for four hours.

For off-street parking generally, the suggested structure has been developed to encourage short-term parking by ensuring no increases in the one and two-hour tariffs.

So the charges in the car parks at Castle Hill Road, the Fishmarket and Pelham Place would remain the same for one and two-hour stays.

However, a three-hour stay would go up from 2.80 to 3.

Coach operators would feel the pinch, though, with a two-hour stay rising from 3.30 to 5 while a 10-hour stay would double in price from 7.50 to 15.

However, the report stresses that tariffs for coach and lorry parking were last reviewed in 1995 and are in urgent need of updating.

The report claims that the changes would generate an increase in income of a little over 150,000 and it goes on to warn councillors: "It is already clear that balancing income and expenditure for next year will be a considerable challenge.

"This challenge will increase if the proposed increased charges are not agreed."

And the report concludes by reminding members that off-street charges were last increased in December 2003.

If implemented, the new charges would be likely to come into force at the beginning of February next year.