Suffolk Coastal’s pressing need to bridge a £2.7m gap between
its income and spending has forced its Cabinet to agree the first
increases in town centre car parking charges for six years.
It is anticipated that the changes in April will help bring in
over £350,000 in the new financial year and play an important part
in balancing the Council’s budget between now and 2015/2016.
“We have reluctantly made these decisions but we have little
choice left when it comes to increasing our income and so
protecting those services that our communities want and need,” said
Cllr Andrew Nunn, Cabinet Member for the Green Environment.
“Since we initially announced our plans in August we have sought
and received views from across our district on the proposals and
have made what changes we can. But the stark fact is that despite
making £10 million of savings over the last decade we urgently need
to increase our income.
“The changes to our town centre car parks will still leave them
as being among the best value in the region and we have held off as
long as we can to protect our shops. I hope that people will
continue to recognise and support the unique range of local
specialist shops on offer in our district,” added Cllr Nunn.
The changes to town centre car parking, which range from 10
pence to £1 depending on length of stay and where, could raise an
additional £224,000.
“It should be remembered that this Council has also been doing a
great deal to help promote and support our local shops, whether
with specific initiatives such as Felixstowe Futures, or securing
the funding for a town centre manager in Woodbridge, or through
community-led projects in market towns across our district.
The Council’s network of car parks across the district have a
key role to play in providing safe and affordable places for people
to park, whether in tourist areas or by shops. It is recognised
that town centre car parks have to be priced in a way that does
encourage a turnover of spaces for shoppers, backed up with
long-stay facilities for those working there.
Using money gained from the Government, the Council has been
investing in town centre and transport related projects that have
been aimed at supporting the retail sector and local jobs. The
Heritage Coast Market Towns Initiative is one of those
Council-supported partnership projects and it was recently
nationally recognised as an example of good practice.
“Using our car parks to help generate additional income is one
of the few ways that we can get a contribution from the many people
visiting our district and benefiting from services such as our free
public toilets, our cleansing services, our parks, gardens and
tourist facilities.
“We have a responsibility to all our residents to ensure that we
are providing our services efficiently and effectively, and that
they are funded in as fair a way as possible. I hope that people
will recognise that is why we have to introduce these changes,
however reluctantly,” added Cllr Nunn.
This week’s Cabinet meeting (held on Tuesday) also agreed to
charge blue badge holders for parking, although giving them twice
as much time for their money as other motorists, while also
charging beach hut owners an extra £20 if they want a second car to
be registered on their discounted parking
permit.