Letter: Cllr Andrew Appleby
Since the introduction of parking charges in Newmarket it has seemed relatively easy to park in The Guineas – too easy I feel and it suggests that either people are not coming to Newmarket or they are parking somewhere else – namely side streets.
It seems that there are plans that the top floor of The Guineas car park might be used for something else, which suggests that this floor is surplus to parking requirements, which might lead one to believe that there are no side street parking problems, making one wonder why Forest Heath is spending 60,000 on a residents' parking survey.
Admittedly, The Guineas car park used to get packed with long stay parkers. Charges seems to have stopped that. One might ponder where they have gone – apparently not to the park and ride near Tesco.
I feel provision needs to be made for long stayers, say the top floor of The Guineas with the remainder allowing a maximum stay of four hours between 8am and 6pm for free.
Presumably an aim of resident parking zones is to try and force people to use the car parks or the park and ride. We need long, medium and short stay parking to keep the shops and businesses working, lest Newmarket dies. Only dead towns have empty car parks.
If Forest Heath's Conservative group was to read the car park income and expenditure accounts for 2004/05 to 2008/09 as we Liberal Democrats have done they might discover some interesting statistics.
In 2004/05 when parking was free the expenditure was 404,000. This includes 257,000 for depreciation, which is more a balance sheet item, 54,000 for business rates, which are recoverable, and sundry administration expenses ie 26,000 - total 335,000. Taking 335,000 from 404,000 gives a net cost for free parking of 69,000 basically for maintenance and utilities.
Last year expenditure was 490,000. Taking out 139,000 for depreciation, 68,000 for business rates and 203,000 for costs associated with charging including 105,000 to Colchester Borough Council for management fees, gives a net cost of 70,000 if not charging.
The proposed increase in charges is not therefore to cover the costs of parking but to cover the costs of charging for parking. Free parking costs no more maybe less than charging for parking.
I consider that increasing charges would actually decrease income, not only of the car park monies but also of the spend in town. The circa 70,000 net cost of car parking I feel would be covered by invisible earnings, not least of business rates of shops and offices which could take more money if parking charges are scrapped.
In the current economic climate, now is not the time to shackle or impede Newmarket businesses. I believe it is much better to encourage residents and visitors to use the town and make it more financially viable by returning to free parking.
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Thursday 09 February 2012
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