Row brews over on-street parking charges

Rother's cabinet is due to debate a report on "decriminalising" parking - taking it out of the hands of the Sussex Police Traffic Warden service - at Monday's 5pm meeting at the Town Hall.

But to raise the funds to pay the workforce they would need to recruit to take over the job currently done by traffic wardens, Rother would seem to have no option but to introduce on-street parking meters.

In a pre-emptive strike, chamber president David Getty issued a press statement on Tuesday describing the move as "a damaging act against the local economy..."

He said the chamber was "bitterly opposed" to the decriminalisation of parking. The chamber believes that if Rother went ahead some local firms would be put out of business.

Monday's cabinet meeting will have before it a report from director of services Tony Leonard recommending that members resolve that a feasibility study should be conducted into the costs and time-scales involved in decriminalising parking.

Rother has already aroused the ire of Bexhill's traders with the suggestion of introducing charges for the existing free off-street parks at Little Common and Wainwright Road together with the possibility of Manor Gardens.

Assessing both the benefits and the risks, the director of services warns that while any profits would have to be shared with the county council and police, Rother would have to shoulder any losses alone.

He also warns: "Any detrimental effect on local trade in the short-term could jeopardise the future of smaller businesses."