Cotswold District Council’s cabinet are set to vote on proposals to reduce parking prices

5:00pm Wednesday 9th January 2013 in News By Ian Craig

PARKING charges in the Cotswolds could be significantly reduced if plans by Cotswold District Council are approved.

CDC announced this afternoon that its cabinet would discuss plans to bring down parking charges across the district at a meeting on Thursday January 17.

Among the plans are a £2 all-day tariff at the Beeches Car Park in Cirencester and the introduction of 50p short stay charges at all council car parks.

The cabinet will also consider proposals to introduce a new five-hour season ticket targeted at part-time workers.

This would mean drivers who use the car parks for five hours or less a day would only pay £288 for a season ticket rather than having to shell out up to £460.

Parking charges have been a hotly-debated issue in the Cotswolds for many years.

Last year CDC prompted fury when it introduced 24-hour parking charges at Cirencester’s Brewery Car Park, a move which saw residents and opposition councillors take to the streets in protest.

Cabinet member for the environment Cllr David Fowles (Con, Hampton) said the plans were the result of public consultation by the Cirencester Parking Partnership – an organisation formed by CDC, Cirencester Town Council and the town’s chamber of commerce.

"We are conscious that some people want to pop in to their local high street for a very quick shop and the 50p half hour offer should encourage this habit while freeing up parking spaces more frequently," he said.

He added he hoped the Beeches car park would attract more users if the plans were approved.

Other plans include harmonising prices in Tetbury's Church Street and West Street car parks and to bring charges in Moreton-in-Marsh in line with other market towns in the Cotswolds, meaning some the cost of some tickets would reduce by almost half.

For reaction to the proposals see next week’s Standard.

Comments(14)

Olly Cromwell says...
5:39pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Believe it when it occurs; we won't hold our breath.

Nothing to do with Tory Council Leader Stowe winning 'Private Eye' Brassed Neck Councillor of the Year for raising such revenues 'unlawfully'?

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Union Man says...
9:10pm Wed 9 Jan 13

Make that "Award winning Tory Councilor and leader of the award winning Tory controlled Cotswold District Council"... It all depends on the way you spin it my dear Olly. Did Lyndon get a cup or cash prize from Private eye or just the the pride of being the best.
Of course if you don't want the reductions you can always lobby Cabinet to keep them the same or indeed put them up.
That's what opposition is about, to oppose......

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Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum says...
5:16am Thu 10 Jan 13

"could be set to drop"??

Which means ... nothing will happen.

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Council Taxpayer says...
12:12pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Still not as good as Stroud where parking charges are reasonable with the bonus of free parking after 3pm on Saturdays.
When will Cllrs Stowe and Fowles stop ripping off the motorist to make excessive profits in a bid to look competent by avoiding hikes in council tax?
And can they answer this question? How many free parking spaces are provided for officers and out-of-town (and out-of-touch) Tory councillors at the Trinity Road council offices? Shouldn't council staff and cabinet members be feeling the pain along with everyone else?

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Union Man says...
12:57pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Council Taxpayer I think you will find the Trinty Road spaces are not reserved for Tories but can be used by any Councillors, indeed Paul Hodgkinson's black Audi and Julie Layton's green Audi, that's Green in colour not eco friendly were both seen there this week. I may be wrong but my information is that the Lib Dems most strident critic of Car Park charges, Joe Harris, doesn't actually have a car.

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Pentheus says...
1:16pm Thu 10 Jan 13

"Harmonising prices" that's such a creative phrase.....when Councillors start talking about car parking costs coming down this is because they have looked in their "Harry Potter" diaries and noted that next year is Election time .......yes it's also EU Election time so look out for your invisible MEP cutting the ribbon on the new reduced price car parking ticket machine in a desparate attempt to toady popularity....

Harmonise all charges with Stow on the Wold .....it's free!!! CDC must have missed that one.....

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Council Taxpayer says...
2:47pm Thu 10 Jan 13

I gather from your reply Union Man that the Trinity Road car park is free for staff and councillors.
Surely it should be pay and display like all the other council car parks in Cirencester so that the pain can be shared fairly.
With CDC making an obscene, and possibly unlawful, £1.4 million profit from car parking charges last year, this is a perk too far.

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Susie Clark says...
3:13pm Thu 10 Jan 13

I never cease to be amazed by the spin that CTP and his Lib Dem pals put on any good news story - gosh , free parking at your place of work - how about that. Would St.James's Place, to pluck out a name, start to charge their staff to use that brand new car park ? Better start a petition for that injustice, eh Crispin ?

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Council Taxpayer says...
5:20pm Thu 10 Jan 13

The point, Susie, is that the majority of workers in Cirencester do not get free parking but the council has made £1.4 million in excess profit in one year with what is a stealth tax on local businesses.
The part-time workers now required to pay £288 each for season tickets can ill afford the charge. Why should they be less advantaged than well-paid officers at the council offices who are protected from their own authority's greed by being allowed to park free on land owned by the taxpayer?
Though it is run by a cabinet presided over by one company - Cotswold Media - CDC is not a private business, even if it often tends to operate like one. It is perfectly legitimate to argue that council workers should pay to park in a council car park - just like the rest of us.

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dopey1 says...
7:14pm Thu 10 Jan 13

Good job CDC is not a private business like Cotswold Media Ltd.

According to Duedil.com , the “Due Diligence” website, Cotswold Media Ltd’s book value is minus £77,080!

That's a lot of car-parking.

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daver22 says...
12:06am Fri 11 Jan 13

Short term (1/2 hour) should be free, 50p, although welcome is still too expensive!

That was 1/3rd of a weeks wages when I started (£1 10s was the salary) work.

The other reason that it should be free is when those people arrive but don't have the change, what about the machines giving change.

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Susie Clark says...
4:09pm Fri 11 Jan 13

First thought - If you don't like paying parking fees , CTP , join an employer who has their own car park - there are plenty in Love Lane.
Second thought - perhaps you'd prefer CDC to sell their car park for building - they'd make a lot more money for the taxpayers like yourself.
Or is that being greedy ?

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Council Taxpayer says...
10:19am Sat 12 Jan 13

The only greed, Susie, is by CDC which makes a massive profit on car parking to the disadvantage of Cirencester businesses that already pay very high business rates. This is chasing people away from the town causing shops to close.
It is a huge scam to allow the Tory administration to fulfil its pledge not to increase council tax,
Private companies can, of course, provide free parking for their workers as part of their business model.
But, if a local authority chooses to do so, it does indicate double standards by the administration which is protecting its own worker from the misery it heaps on others.
The car park at Trinity Road is not private property - it belongs to the local taxpayer. Ordinary workers paying to park in municipal car parks are threfore subsiding free parking for staff at CDC.

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Union Man says...
8:31pm Tue 15 Jan 13

Good idea.
What do you reckon they could get for the Forum Susie?.
Or how about flogging Trinity Road and building a new HQ at Burford or Upper Rissington for "Woxwold" District?

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