Redcar & Cleveland Council - Parking Charges

Norman_Conquest

Norman_Conquest

Well-known member
We all know these councils are on the bones of their backsides but is increasing parking charges on a struggling high street really going to help?

It seems there are plenty of business and visitors to Redcar who are not happy about this decision with one shopper stating "Parking charges for short term 'fleeting' customers have discouraged these 10 minute shoppers from entering the high street.

"The council is supposed to be considering high street regeneration, uplifts to the town centre, ways to attract visitors and shoppers to the town. The council's short-sighted policies are a further strangle hold on an almost dead town."

The Gazette goes on to say that at the beginning of the year the hour free parking was removed, with shoppers now facing charges of £1.60 for the first hour and £2.20 for each additional hour.

The charges don't seem excessive but business owners are saying it is having an impact and a drop in footfall on the high street. People are unwilling to pay parking fees, and it deters shoppers, especially if they are only planning to make a quick visit or purchase a small item. Let's face it, the overall attractiveness of Redcar High Street and the introduction of parking fees is not going to make you rush there.

If your visit takes two hours, that is £3.80 in parking and it would be cheaper to buy your item online and get it delivered.

JonnyHistory - You are a councillor in R&C, do you care to comment?

www.gazettelive.co.uk

Claims Teesside high street is 'dead' following parking charge changes

They claim the new parking regulations are affecting trade
www.gazettelive.co.uk www.gazettelive.co.uk

​

 
It was Houchen and the TVCA that funded free car parks in Redcar and Middlesbrough, it was Houchen that cancelled the funding as soon as Labour won both councils in May.
 
TheLodger said:
It was Houchen and the TVCA that funded free car parks in Redcar and Middlesbrough, it was Houchen that cancelled the funding as soon as Labour won both councils in May.
Click to expand...
It states that in the article but come on, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know parking chargers discourage people from visiting.
 
Norman_Conquest said:
It states that in the article but come on, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to know parking chargers discourage people from visiting.
Click to expand...
Absolutely, which is why the Labour green and libdem candidates for the TVCA in May have all said they will reinstall free parking.

The point is, it's not the council that has caused this, but Houchen, all because he lost control of both councils.
 
TheLodger said:
Absolutely, which is why the Labour green and libdem candidates for the TVCA in May have all said they will reinstall free parking.

The point is, it's not the council that has caused this, but Houchen, all because he lost control of both councils.
Click to expand...
Am I missing something here, why can't the council continue with the 1hr free parking? You only have to read the article or look at the pictures to see the impact it is having.
 
I`m not sure I understand the quote " Unable to fund the 1hr free parking "

How much does it cost to fund the 1hr free parking, what does the funding cover and isn`t this covered by those paying to park after the 1hr free parking has expired anyway.

There is an alternative though and that is to park in the Morrison car park which IIRC is free
 
Norman_Conquest said:
Am I missing something here, why can't the council continue with the 1hr free parking? You only have to read the article or look at the pictures to see the impact it is having.
Click to expand...
The council funded areas are still free, quite a lot of the areas are free, the only parts that aren't free are the ones that was funded by Houchen and now withdrawn. I'm not Redcar & Cleveland but Houchen did the same in the Capt Cook car park and stopped funding it.
 
I can park in Macclesfield all day for £3.27- bargain comparable it’s mental how much other councils charge.
 
TheLodger said:
The council funded areas are still free, quite a lot of the areas are free, the only parts that aren't free are the ones that was funded by Houchen and now withdrawn. I'm not Redcar & Cleveland but Houchen did the same in the Capt Cook car park and stopped funding it.
Click to expand...
That wasn't the question I asked, I was asking why the council couldn't keep it free for the first hour. I know you aren't R&C but I am hoping Jonny Zetland will come on and answer that.

I live in Normanby, it is easy for me to get to Middlesbrough and Redcar to go shopping but tend to drive past Middlesbrough to go to Teesside Park or Cleveland Retail Park and that is because the parking is free.
 
North22 said:
If you cant blame Preston blame Houchen.
Click to expand...
I see comments like this all the time, the same people will complain elsewhere that it takes the council forever to do something. Well fact is sadly it does, council have to jump through hoops now to do anything, when you see things happening now, the planning for it usually started 9 months ago. That's just the way it is.
 
Town centres all over the country are dying and government/councils need to be more creative to get the empty shops filled and the footfall back.

Free parking and much lower rents for shops would be a good place to start.
 
sherlock1969 said:
Parking charges are very short sighted.

Up here in Northumberland it’s free disc parking in all towns and it really helps get people into the shops.
Click to expand...
It is mainly disc parking in many of the towns and cities we visit in France to park or there may be a token gesture which is normally less than a euro. This is different if you use a multi-story car park and then payments are similar to here.

Some years back, we had visited Devon and the wife decided to keep all the parking tickets for our visit. It was something ridiculously close to £200 for the fourteen days we were there and not every day did we leave the campsite. That was the last time we visited Devon.
 
North22 said:
If you cant blame Preston blame Houchen.
Click to expand...
Houchen promised to keep the car-park funding for the life-cycle of his mayorship and then stopped it mid-term.

Councils have a huge problem with finding cash to fund mandatory services. They also have very few avenues available to generate extra funds.

Budgets get signed off based on forecasts, so Houchen is very much to blame for the shortfall in funding because he chose to not honour his previous commitment (which I assume was an electoral promise but would need to check).

Unless you can think of another way for RCBC to make up the shortfall?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top