Thanks to the regular reader who sent us a link to the survey pages. The survey is open until the 14th of November
Here's question 18b on the Highland Council Budget Survey:
"18 (b) We are proposing that we consider charging for any car park in Highland that has more than 20 spaces. The income that could be generated would be around £230,000 per year. What difference would this change make?"
You then get a choice of options to tick on two levels, personal family impact and that to the community. Nairn businesses have often rallied over the threat to the town centre from potential parking charges and there have been campaigns in the past every time the spectre of car parking returned but could this go through on the nod if enough Highland residents elswhere are in favour when they complete the survey? Let's face it anyone being charged already is very likely to vote for others not currently being charged to suffer the same fate.
The cuts are certainly going to go into the bone this time round. You can see the survey here by clicking on the "Complete our survey" link at the bottom of this Highland Council page.
Just another thought here - would anyone parking on the Links carpark or down at the Maggot or the Harbour have to pay as well? All these sites have over 20 parking spaces.
Just another thought here - would anyone parking on the Links carpark or down at the Maggot or the Harbour have to pay as well? All these sites have over 20 parking spaces.
I think given the fact that HC have to make savings of 64million in the next 3 years then better charging for car parking than cutting frontline services.
ReplyDeleteThe argument against car parking charges is that it will drive away customers from town centre businesses and eventually result in a loss of rates income to Highland Council as businesses close etc.
ReplyDeleteThere will also be the cost of installation of parking meters to consider.
Anyway all you have to do anon is go on the survey and give parking charges your blessing - likewise others who feel the other way inclined.
There's an assumption by business owners and local people that car parking charges are a bad thing. However, how many parking spaces, both in car parks and in the High St, are actually available at any time, and how many are blocked for use either by business owners or employees parking all day, or residents parking 24 hours per day ? What can work very well for businesses and local peopl is a something like - free parking for the first 30 minutes or 1 hour, low cost (e.g. 50p) for the next 2-3 hours, then high charges (e.g. £3 or more) for anyone parking more than 3 or 4 hours. This would make it easier to find a space to park in and the costs for the short term (up to 3-4 hours) user would be so small as not to be a deterrent.
ReplyDeleteFair enough but where do you park if you live in one of the many town centre properties that do not have their own parking spaces?
ReplyDeleteThis would affect this observer if he had a car lol.
Just another thought on this - would tourists/locals have to pay down at the Links or the Maggot?
ReplyDeleteIn Nairn it would just drive many more folk to Sainsbury's or further afield for their shopping rather than venture to the High St. Traders are right to feel afraid for remaining businesses
ReplyDeleteBut this in effect a tax to supplement the now frozen council tax and allows car drivers to choose if they should park on the High St or not
I note that boats parked in the harbour will be subject to a rise of 4% for morring there. Above inflation but a cash strapped council has to gather money from somewhere
How about a toll booth at either end of town, negate the need to build a bypass then
ReplyDeleteIs it not the case that the car park behind and the Library itself are due to to come up for the Leese to be renewed?.
ReplyDeleteI would be very surprised if the H.C.
were to pay for the public to have free parking. And on the other hand cut back on local maintenance which in turn will affect workers earning a wage.
So if it's case of some one having a job or free car parking you can judge for your self where I stand.
murd
reinstate pavements to original size and get back all the lost parking spaces,
ReplyDeleteDoes grass count I wonder. Links, maggot and harbour have grass areas that are heavily used in summer. I'm sure the residents of fishertown would love tourists trying to skimp on parking in there.
ReplyDeleteCar parking charges is only one of the proposals by HC to combat the 64 million pound savings required.
ReplyDeleteReduced school hours, less secondary teachers, less grass cutting, closing
Public toilets, less bins uplifted its all in the mix.
As I said at 12:33 better car parking fees than cuts to essential services.
HC want us to either empty our pockets by accepting higher charges or be happy with closures of facilities.
ReplyDeleteMaybe a controversial view but this seems fair enough to me, only problem is everyone will have their own idea in such matters. Not a good time to be a councillor
As for parking charges, these will only work if HC employ traffic wardens that'll maybe wipe out much of the revenue raised, Catch 22
anon. 4.44 couldn't agree with you more, the High Street pavements are a shambles compared to what we used to have, reinstate them back to what they were, and while we're at it, could the authorities please stop cyclists from using them.
ReplyDeleteWhy have none of our highly paid councillors not alerted us to this survey and the things in it like parking charges?
ReplyDeletere .my post,4.44pm
ReplyDeleteI have also started taking pictures of vans parked on pavements and passing them,including number plates onto the police,lets see if they do anything about it,its getting to the stage now,where you are safer walking on the road to avoid cars/vans/cyclists on pavements.
narook.
Ooh, I just love it whenever the possibilities of car parking charges are raised! Listen to the squeals of car owners when they realise that their pockets are about to be hit!
ReplyDeleteThe final end of Nairn High Street will come if parking charges come in
ReplyDeleteI'm not against car parking charges but if you do that the council will likely have to operate parking permits in areas near them to protect communities. Add costs of meters and enforcement I'll be surprised if it makes them as much money as they hope.
ReplyDeleteMove along please nothing to see here just a survey
ReplyDeleteWhy don't they just increase Council Tax ? Surely an increase is way over due ?
ReplyDeleteCouncil tax is actually a surprisingly small component of the council budget, rather than most. A good wedge is central government contribution and so raising council tax, even heavily, would struggle to kill the shortfall. Some unfunded SNP policies dumped on councils (like childcare) don't help rural councils either.
ReplyDeleteCouncil tax ~20% grant 80%ish
ReplyDeleteSooner or later, parking charges are almost inevitable. The question is - can the Council introduce and manage such arrangements sensibly? It isn't a simple matter.
ReplyDeleteAny system will have substantial capital costs (meters, pay-and-display, signs, barriers) and staffing and running costs (no system works unless enforced by wardens). This will wipe out much income in the first few years.
Applying charges to carparks with over 20 spaces in Nairn will deter visitors, and will push local drivers into parking instead on nearby residential streets, on the grass around the Links and the harbour, on Viewfield drive, etc. Unless the Co-op, the Community Centre and other landlords of 'private' or customer parking spaces (like the banks....) also introduce charges, folk will park there and go off into the High Street to work or shop. How will the Council manage this - or gain revenue? Bollards all around the Links? A gate on the road to the Museum?
Thus carpark charges would have to be accompanied by residents-only permit parking zones, and yellow lines (or meters) on all other streets in town. Who would monitor that? How would local residents like having to pay for a permit to park outside their own homes (Londoners do so - but at least they have a comprehensive local network and choice of public transport services, so a car isn't essential).
Discouraging visitors, pushing shoppers out of the town centre to Sainsburys (free parking!) and charging local residents for permits..... Not exactly a policy designed to assist Nairn residents and businesses to thrive and prosper.
The Council needs to beware of the unintended consequences of short-sighted policies driven solely by cost-cutting: parking charges may create more problems than they solve.