Following the lengthy consultations and meetings, Wiltshire Council has slipped through the decision – made by the cabinet member, Councillor Bridget Wayman – to implement the changes to car parking regulations and charging – including the introduction of Sunday and Bank Holiday charges.
The ‘decision’ was made on 28 September and the changes should have come into force on October 8. However, as of Sunday morning (October 14) the ticket machines in the High Street carried no notice of the new charges.
These changes are over and above the general increase in parking costs of about 11 per cent which could be introduced more quickly and without consultation. They came in effect in February. All the other changes had been due to come into effect in August.
Two of the Council’s proposals or options – hugely increased season tickets and a reduction in the ‘grace period’ for overstaying – have been altered after the consultation.
The reduction in the ‘grace period’ from 15 to 10 minutes has been dropped. The cost of season tickets is being phased in over two years and the formula for calculating the increases has been softened.
There is one very interesting contribution to the consultation by an anonymous Marlborough person: “We are in desperate need of residents parking. If the charges for season tickets were to be increased, this would lead to good, honest and reliable residents (people interested in Marlborough) being forced to look elsewhere to park and possibly moving away from the town. I am therefore opposed to an increase in season ticket charges.”
In part the Wiltshire Council response reads as follows:
“Season tickets offer considerable savings when compared to standard charges. As a result however, and particularly as they are popular with commuters, season tickets can increase car use (particularly at peak times), discourage the use of sustainable transport modes (as people have already paid for parking) and reduce the availability and turnover of parking spaces (as commuters often park for eight hours).”
“The increased take up of season tickets has impacted on the income of the council due to the lower cost of parking for season ticket holders; currently, depending on the car park, season ticket holders receive up to an 83 per cent discount on full day rate ticket prices.”
It is not clear from that where the Council expect ‘commuters’ – who work in the town’s shops, surgery, restaurants etc etc – should be parking to enable the Council to make more money from short period parking tickets. Or are ‘commuters’ all expected to use ‘sustainable transport modes’?
You can read the documents here. At the foot of the page you will see ‘HTW-35-18’ which is the Council’s main document. ‘App 1’ has the consultation queries and the Council’s replies. In ‘App2’ you will find letters from local councils etc – Marlborough Town Council’s letter is at page 19.