Now that the minutes have been published, we can see how people voted on car parking charges – and how many councillors were absent:
The motion was that a 30 minute parking time band with a 40p charge be reintroduced (to encourage people making quick visits to our town centres) and that there be no parking charges after 6.00 pm (to encourage early evening shopping and restaurant use).
For (7)
Cllrs C I Black ; Mrs J Dillnutt; M Hoy; C J Lumley;
Mrs J R Lumley; J R F Mason; R A Oatham (5 Lib Dems, I Green 1 Rochford Resident)
Against (20)
Cllrs Mrs P Aves; Mrs L A Butcher; P A Capon;
J P Cottis; T G Cutmore; K A Gibbs; Mrs H L A Glynn;
J E Grey; K H Hudson; T Livings; Mrs G A Lucas-Gill:
Mrs J E McPherson; D Merrick; A C Priest; C G Seagers:
D G Stansby; M J Steptoe; J Thomass; Mrs M J Webster;
P F A Webster (All Conservative)
Abstentions (1)
Cllr M Maddocks (Conservative)
Absent (11): Cllrs Mrs T J Capon, M R Carter, Mrs L M Cox, T E Goodwin, K J Gordon, A J Humphries, Mrs J A Mockford, P Robinson, S P Smith, Mrs C A Weston and Mrs B J Wilkins. (all Conservative)
I recently had a questionnaire put on my windscreen when I parked in the market car park from Rochford Council asking me about the parking and suggestions for improvements. Have the results been taken into account by the councillors above ?
Not really – the debate at full council was based on the work that the Review Committee of councillor had carried out over several months.
Also, Cllr Hoy had attended a meeting of the Rayleigh Chamber of Trade the night before – he reported that they were very much in favour of a 30 minute period.
I Cannot believe this was voted against. I hardly ever go to Rayleigh since the 30 minute charge was dropped. If I needed the bank or post office I would always pop to Rayleigh often seeing things that I didn’t expect prompting me to stay longer or visit another time.
I think 60p an hour is expensive when I can go to Basildon, with a much wider choice of shops and park for 40 or 50p an hour (or 3 hours for £1 in one of the car parks.)
I am sure the shops in Rayleigh must be losing out. I am really surprised so many voted against. What were their reasons for this?
I imagine their answers would be that a) it will cost the council some income – a figure of £40,000 has been quoted in the past and b) apparently some drivers complained that a 30 minute period was ‘entrapment’
My response to that would be that predicting car park income isn’t an exact science, we lose some income at the moment from one driver passing on a ticket to another driver, a 30 minute period my reduce that. Also I would give a higher priority to encouraging town centre trade (even if it does cost £40,000 ) than to having a cabinet system (which is at least £50,000 per year more expensive in allowances). Giving up charging after 6 pm would encouratge early evening use of restaurants, shops and hairdressers, at minimal cost to the council.
The background to all this is that the review committee (1 Lib Dem and 7 Conservatives) spent months looking at car parking issues , and came up with a set of proposals that were mostly overruled by just one senior councillor.
At least Malcolm Maddocks (who is one of the 7 Conservatives on the review committee) had enough integrity to abstain.
Remember the Conservatives famous “We will introduce Pay on Exit Parking when elected” pledge?
Oh yes….. !