Concern over new car park charges
Jul 22 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal
SCRAPPING free parking in Northumberland’s biggest towns would “crucify” the retail economy, a council leader warned yesterday.
Towns in the south east of the county have always been exempt from the charges, but there are fears the new unitary authority will bring in equal measures next year.
Motorists currently have to pay in the market towns of Berwick, Alnwick, Morpeth and Hexham, but Labour- controlled Wansbeck and Blyth Valley Councils have consistently rejected the introduction of fees.
And Blyth Valley Council leader Dave Stephens said he feared for the economy of his area if the charges were brought in.
He said: “I raised this issue at the last area committee meeting and there was a lot of waffle about it but no clear answer.
“Imposing parking charges in Blyth town centre would crucify the retail trade and we would fight any such proposal tooth and nail.
“When the unitary authority takes over in April there is a concern that things like this will be equalised across the county.
“We have a very fragile economy in Blyth town centre and to come along and impose parking charges would be terrible. The situation worries me and I will continue to seek answers and assurances about this.”
Ashington, Bedlington, Newbiggin, Cramlington and Seaton Delaval also enjoy free parking. Yesterday county council leader Jeff Reid said the issue has not even been discussed yet and there were no plans to end free parking in south-east Northumberland.
He said: “This is not even on my list at present, although there will need to be a policy on car parking which covers the whole of Northumberland. That does not mean, however, that charges have to made everywhere.
“There are different parking charges in Newcastle city centre so, in a place the size of Northumberland, there will be differing parking arrangements. In the market towns charges are in place for traffic management purposes rather than revenue generation.
“We are not going to solve the new unitary council’s financial problems by putting car parking charges on in Blyth. This whole issue has got to be about traffic management and can’t be used as a revenue-raising tool.”
Fellow Liberal Democrat executive member Andrew Tebbutt said: “We have to consider the issue of car parking charges, but that will be done in the context of an overall corporate charging policy. It is not something we have discussed so far.”
Six years ago, a major car parking study carried out for the county council by JMP Consultants concluded there was no need to introduce charges in south-east Northumberland towns.
