There will be an extra meeting of the District Council on June 7th. The subject of the meeting will be:
“To consider the exempt report of the Head of Planning and Transportation on the review of car parking policy and charges and opportunities for introducing more flexible arrangements.”
The report that councillors have been sent is a ‘purple paper’ – that means it’s a confidential report, so we can’t write about it here. The meeting is also very likely to be private and confidential as well.
Originally, this was going to be dealt with by the council cabinet only. But we persuaded the Conservatives to bring it to Full Council.
Why on earth is a subject like car parking confidential !!!
I do hope that price rises in the Rayleigh car parks are not being considered? We already have charges far in excess of neighbouring Castle Point and not enough space to park our cars either.
CCR
RR: You are quite right, car parking charges themselves are not a confidential issue. Things normally go into confidential session only if there is something commercially sensitive, legally sensitive or staffing sensitive.
CCR: All I can say is what Ron put into his election leaflet in April :
“Keep Car Park Charges Reasonable.
We think it’s vital to maintain a successful Town Centre.
So we want to keep the free car parking in Rayleigh on Saturday afternoons. We also want to have free parking after 6 pm in the evenings, a cheap rate for the first 30 or 45 minutes, and to reduce the charges for the Approach Car Park near Rayleigh Station (which is under-used) “
If there is not enough space to park cars, CCR resident, then the Council can argue that prices are not too high. Parking fees are too high because they are discouraging shoppers from the town.
I think the reason the Station Aproach car park is under used is the fact you have to pay £5 in cash each day. Last year I used the Train for about six months and cycled to the station most days. However, if I had to drive I used the Station car park and used my mobile phone to pay on my credit card.
I wholeheartedly endorse Ron’s comments in his election leaflet!
Our town centres are constantly battling the free parking & ease of access to out of town shopping.
You don’t need to be brain of Britain to see that increasing car parking charges, &/or shortening the times per charge, will result in more on street parking, legal or otherwise, inconveniencing residents of those streets. In addition, more & more people will travel to the supermarkets & Business Parks.
Increase charges & it’s a lose-lose situation.
We are all having to consider how we spend our hard earned dosh. Compared to utilities, food & clothes, parking charges are low on the list!
If we want to preserve our right to shopping choices, in the case of the local shops it’s a case of use it or lose it. So please let RDC see sense on this issue!
How about pay on exit for long stay car parks?
Janet, thanks for your comments.
Just to clarify, Ron’s leaflet was precisely worded and set out what he/we wanted. It didn’t rule out ANY increases – providing charges stayed reasonable – and it made clear our support for free parking after 6 pm, keeping free Saturday afternoons and bringing back a cheap rate for 30 or 45 minutes.
Regarding pay-on-exit, the Conservatives rashly pledged to introduce this and failed to do so – one problem is that you have to have an attendant ready at all times in case the barrier gets stuck. However maybe there are other ways to make things more flexible and convenient for motorists.
Does Rayleigh station have the same stupid set-up as Hockley station, where on Saturdays you still have to pay to use the carpark but you can park right outside in the road for free because the yellow lines don’t apply at weekends?
Why not make the station parking free on weekends and try and avoid obstructions in the roads? Maybe people would also consider using trains for their weekend outings if they didn’t have to pay for parking as well.
I believe you have to pay in the NCP car park, but the council one is free at the weekends