2,000-name petition for free parking in flood-hit Cockermouth
Last updated at 23:43, Thursday, 20 May 2010
Cockermouth traders handed over a 2,000-name petition to urge Allerdale council to reconsider offering free parking.
They hope the petition, which includes a signature from Lord Melvyn Bragg, will encourage the council to relax its tight regulations and offer some free parking to encourage visitor numbers and boost trade in the flood-hit town.
The petition was launched in March by Cockermouth and District Chamber of Trade after the council declined a request for two hours of free parking on Wakefield Road car park.
It was presented to Cockermouth borough councillor Alan Smith in preparation for the council’s executive meeting in June.
Coun Smith, who is also a town councillor, said the volume of signatures means that the council must now have a full debate on the issue.
Chamber clerk Dave Siddall said: “Supermarkets are growing in market share partly thanks to free edge-of-town car parking, while traditional town centres are seeing a steady business decline partly due to the recent growth of what I call the car parking tax. Every pound spent in such superstores is one pound less spent in traditional towns such as Cockermouth.”
Chamber member Paul Carr, of Firn’s Home Hardware on Station Street, said: “All we are asking Allerdale council to do is explore options to stop the excessive car parking charging.”
Coun Sam Standage, Allerdale council’s executive member responsible for parking services, said: “The policy on parking charges was agreed at the October meeting of full council.
“Should the Cockermouth Chamber of Trade approach Allerdale Borough Council with a proposal on how free car parking could be offered without the cost threatening some of the council’s services then the executive committee may consider this.”
First published at 19:32, Thursday, 20 May 2010
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk
It will never happen. Just remember what the council said about a month agao. They cannot afford to drop the parking charges as this will affect their budget. As I said on these pages at the time it just goes to show that we have been conned for years by both central and local governments who have always maintianed that parking fees and charges and fines are a traffic management tool and not designed as a cash raising tool.
Have your say
Cllr Standage is being hypocritical in his comment. The chamber of commerce have asked for dialogue from day one of this to discuss how some kind of concession on parking could be mutually agreed.The chamber have been stone walled repeatedly. Cllr Standage is one of the major objectors to this request yet he has never operated a business in his life.
Over to you Cllr Standage are you prepared to get round the negotiating table or is democracy non existent in Allerdale Council?Posted by Jon on 21 May 2010 at 20:37