Top councillors on North Somerset Council have promised to keep an eye on the impacts of the controversial end of free parking in three towns and make changes if needed after a challenge from local communities and councillors.
Plans to introduce parking charges in a host of locations across Clevedon, Nailsea, and Portishead faced a major public outcry. Now top councillors have called it “democracy at work” and committed to monitor the impacts and make mitigations where needed after the plans were challenged through the council’s scrutiny processes.
Councillors Luke Smith (Clevedon West, Conservative) and Tim Snaden (Portishead North, Portishead Independents) called-in the plans to a council scrutiny panel on November 11, where backbench councillors called on the council executive to monitor and mitigate the impacts of the plans. Mark Canniford (Weston-super-Mare Hillside, Liberal Democrat), the council’s executive member for placemaking, said at the scrutiny panel meeting that he was happy to make the “very reasonable” considerations.
Now the council’s executive has officially voted unanimously to accept the call in at its meeting on December 4. Council leader Mike Bell (Weston-super-Mare Central, Liberal Democrat) told the meeting: “Just to be clear, the recommendation from the scrutiny panel was that the executive continues to evaluate the impacts on businesses and community groups and develops further mitigations as part of the policy, and councillor Canniford has indicated that we absolutely will do that.”
There have been repeated warnings from locals that the charges at Portishead’s “jewel in the crown,” the lake grounds, will hurt volunteers and users of Portishead Open Air Pool; and that charges on Clevedon’s Hill road will hurt local businesses. David Sims, of the road’s bookshop Books on the Hill, told the executive meeting: “Its range of specialist independent shops and restaurants need people to browse and spend more than a 30 minutes pop into the Spar shop.”
Meanwhile, councillor Luke Smith (Clevedon West, Conservative), submitted a list of 14 proposed amendments to the parking strategy council, including creating key performance indicators to monitor the policy and prioritising bus routes to offer an alternative to driving. Mr Bell said council officers were looking at his proposals and would write to him formally.
Mr Canniford thanked people for attending the call in, stating: “That’s democracy at work.” But he defended the idea of introducing the parking charges. He said: “I have always argued that this is a point of fairness. I have always argued that consistency of parking strategy should be across the district. However I do accept that areas are different, but the strategy should be consistent.”
But he also said: “I don’t think anyone pretends this isn’t partly about the financial position this council finds itself in.”
He added that paying for parking would not only be possible though an app, said the council would look at residents permits. And said: “We are working towards the mitigations around community clubs, sports groups, and sports organisations in our towns.”
Executive member for homes and health Jenna Ho Marris (Pill, Green) said she wanted the council to support volunteers, who she said were “absolute gold” but she said the council had been pushed into introducing parking charges due to its “precarious” financial situation.
She said: “We don’t actually actually 100% know if this is going to do what we think it will but we have to try given our situation. […] We have to monitor it and see what happens and if it does come to harm, we have to take steps. That’s our obligation.”
North Somerset Council expects to make £1.05m a year from the charges, although operating costs and paying off borrowing to bring the relevant infrastructure in means it would only keep £479k of this as profit each year. Not all car parks will have parking charges introduced.
It is planned that the new parking charges will be rolled out in stages, with the first introduced in February. Not all car parks will have parking charges introduced. In most car parks affected, it will cost £1 to park for an hour, £1.50 to park for two hours, £2.50 for three hours, and £3.50 for all day. But parking at some locations — including Portishead ’s lake grounds and Clevedon’s Hill Road — will cost more, with one hour’s parking costing £1.50.
The money raising measure is being introduced as North Somerset Council is identifying cuts and savings to plug a £53m black hole in its budget across the next three years. At the meeting on October 16 where the council executive voted to bring in the charges, council leader Mike Bell said: “We cannot justify subsidising parking when we are having to cut care services for vulnerable adults and children.”
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