Why the car park price rises are wrong

In January 2009 charges for long-stay parking in town centre and village car parks across Elmbridge were increased. The price rises ranged from 20% to 140%.   We opposed these rises in council.

These are big rises. We believe that these increases in town and village centre car park charges will have a negative effect. Not only will they hit people in the pocket, but they will displace even more long-stay parking onto our local residential roads.

But the Leader of Elmbridge Borough Council disagrees. Below are transcripts of his replies in Council, including the statement "I believe the people of Weybridge North are probably worrying unnecessarily".

In late 2008 the controlling Conservative cabinet of EBC put forward proposals to raise charges for long-stay parking in town centre and village car parks by 20-140% from 5 January 2009.

Miles Macleod spoke in full Council against this rise in charges.  Councillors Tim Crowther and Miles Macleod both voted against the rise.

Cllr Macleod has consistently said that short-stay parking should be encouraged by reducing short-stay charges, not by increasing long-stay charges. Contrary to Cllr Taylor's statement (below) consultants' recommendations in the draft Elmbridge Parking Management Strategy suggested no increase in charges for 8 hour parking in town centre short-stay car parks (i.e. leaving the fee at £6 for 8 hours). But what happened?  Cllr Taylor's administration increased the 8 hour charge by 33% to £8 for short-stay car parks, and increased the 4 hour parking charge by 50%.

We oppose attempts to use car park charges as a cash cow -- that is wrong in principle, and the evidence shows that it fails to generate hoped-for income, but as the side effect of a inflicting negative impact on communities. Car park charging must be part of an overall parking management strategy, properly coordinated with public transport and on-street parking controls.

In January 2009 we said on this website: "The latest rises [in off-street car parking charges] were not coordinated with other measures, and look like a crude attempt to raise revenue -- which may fail with damaging consequences if people simply choose to park elsewhere."  Sadly, events have proved this to be corrrect.

Question to the EBC Leader  3 December 2008

Here is the minuted transcript of the 'Question to the Leader' asked by Cllr Miles Macleod at the 3 December Elmbridge Borough Council Meeting, on the linkage between the increase in long-stay car parking charges and displacement onto residential roads, plus supplementaries, together with Roy Taylor's responses:

(e) Question asked by M. Macleod to the Leader of the Council, R.H. Taylor

‘Can the Leader tell us the predicted impact on long-stay car parking in Town Centre Car Parks of the increase in parking charges for four hours or over, from 5 January 2009, and the strategic measures being taken to ensure that the displaced long-stay parking does not simply clog up nearby residential roads, in areas such as Weybridge North?’

Response given by R.H. Taylor

The new charges we are bringing in in the Villages increases long term all day car parking from £4 to £5 principally to bring them in line with the nearer station because we have found village car parks particularly are being used because they are simply cheaper to park in. The structured system of charging for parking has been brought in under the recommendation, if you remember, of our consultants and it is designed for shoppers with quick turnover. Most people who will park all day as a one-off are usually business people. Very few people are going to pay £8 a day in the short-term car parking areas just to do shopping. Those who park regularly can buy a season ticket and that is really excellent value. They get 60% off and they can park for less than £2 a day which in this day and age has to be very good value indeed. We don’t anticipate any displaced cars in places like Weybridge North due to Churchfields because I think there is a very good turnover of cars there anyway. People who park there all day are normally season ticket holders.

Supplementary Question by M. Macleod

I thank the Leader for his response but certainly the feeling in Weybridge North is rather different about the impact of these price increases. I know the asymmetric nature of them was by increasing the long-term element rather than reducing the short-term element. Now the Council’s own figures show a clear link between big price increases and reduced car park use. What would you say to people in Weybridge North who cannot understand the lack of strategic co-ordination behind such a big increase in the cost of long stay car parking in town centres when the earliest possible date for implementing CPZ extension is over a year away and there are no alternative long-term arrangements.

Response given by R.H. Taylor 

I believe the people of Weybridge North are probably worrying unnecessarily. We don’t see a link of displaced cars from Churchfield in Weybridge North especially. I think the comparison with the car parks in the stations is quite different and I think there are quite different reasons for why people have stopped using or suddenly reduced usage of car parks in the stations, same as they are suffering in Woking and Guildford and everywhere else in the South East. So I am not too sure that your assumption is quite correct and I would argue it isn’t.

Further Supplementary Question by C.R. Sadler

I am interested in the discussions and the reference to the advice of the consultants. It was my understanding that following a report by a Task Group to the Environmental Affairs Overview and Scrutiny Committee earlier this year that the consultants were still in the process of finalising their report, which has not yet been submitted either to the Task Group or to Overview and Scrutiny Committee or to the Cabinet. Is it not premature to have imposed 25% increases which may lead to the sorts of aggravation in residential roads that are near to town centres?

Response given by R.H. Taylor

You are not quite correct, it was a complete report. We have decided as a Council we might like to extend that report to look at other factors. As it happens Surrey County Council decided that it was unnecessary for them to learn anymore. They knew what needed to be done and it was simply a case of applying resources to roll out CPZs in particularly Walton, Long Ditton, Weybridge North and various other places and unfortunately that’s not within the remit or control of this Council. You will remember at the last Council meeting so frustrated were we as an Administration that we funded Surrey County Council to speed up CPZ measures particularly in Walton because they are urgent. Maybe a few months down the road we should consider other areas if it might improve the situation. I think the Traffic Orders for Weybridge North may have been published.

Further Supplementary Question by M.A. Courtney

I was surprised to hear from the Leader of the Council that car park charges have gone up from 25%, because I was in a car park this afternoon which was less than 50% full. It had been a very well used car park where we were looking at a sign that said the daily charge was £1.70 a day was now going up to £4. However, what I was surprised about, was that the statement by the Leader that his assumption that cars were not displaced into outside roads was better than Councillor Macleod’s view that it might happen and did happen in some areas. Would it not be a good idea if we did have some hard facts and studies to reassure us on that point so we could go to our electors and tell them that they won’t have cars parked in their roads due to the increase in car parking charges.

Response given by R.H. Taylor

Well Councillor Macleod was specifically referring to Weybridge North and I think that is a case where cars will not be displaced. There may very well be cars displaced in other areas and as you know there is a comprehensive programme of CPZs etc., yellow lining to be rolled out by County as soon as resources allow. Hopefully these problems will be resolved. And as you also know, we have had this discussion on many occasions in the past. We are faced with the situation that we have, we didn’t bring in car parking charges in this Borough, Members on the other side of the Chamber did. They did it without co-ordinating with Surrey County Council and I am afraid we have to live with that. We are trying to put it right, we are working with them and we have even given them money to speed it up. It’s very difficult for us to judge what more we can do. 

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Here is a further set of questions on parking strategy and charges asked on 22 July 2009

(d) Question asked by M. Macleod to the Leader of the Council, R.H. Taylor

‘Can the Leader explain why the Corporate Plan objective of publishing and promoting the Elmbridge Parking Management Strategy has been put back to the fourth quarter, and tell us:

• what actions were taken to try to keep this on its original schedule, and
• what is being done to prevent further delay?‘

Response given by R.H. Taylor

I think the question has largely been answered by the last question. The Parking Strategy, which includes on-street parking is not within our remit to finalise, and you will be aware, Councillor Macleod, that in Weybridge particularly there has been a very mixed reaction to the Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) which has made implementation and final plans as to what’s to be done, very complicated. In fact, I suspect the whole CPZ is being withdrawn and it will be curtailed significantly to approach specific roads rather than covering the whole area. When things like that happen, and developments like that transpire, it’s very difficult to keep to a timetable, which in any event we are not in control of, so we will bring it back just as fast as we have the correct feedback and decisions by Surrey County Council.

Supplementary Question asked by M. Macleod

Thank you for your response. The Leader may be aware that many residents are explicitly blaming Elmbridge's recent increase in off-street parking charges – which were not strategically coordinated with on-street controls – for an increase in displacement parking outside people's homes. I believe some 95% blamed Elmbridge for parking problems in a recent survey in part of Weybridge North.

So, given that an effective Parking Management Strategy is key to improving the situation, how would the Leader suggest that we can show people that Elmbridge and Surrey are working together effectively to resolve parking problems in Elmbridge?

Response given by R.H. Taylor

As I’ve just highlighted, in Weybridge particularly, which you’re very familiar with, 78% of the people, I believe that was the correct percentage, wrote back and said they didn’t want any controls whatsoever, having studied the controls Surrey County Council decided to bring in; and varied them to such an extent that Surrey have almost abandoned the Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) as it stands at this moment in time and are having to redraw in a very much smaller area. Yes, I think you’re quite right, I think the public have every right to blame the name Elmbridge for introducing car parking fees before coordinating it with on-street car parking. This occurs almost every Council, and every time I refer to Councillor Sadler, because it was your side of the Chamber who introduced car parking fees without a co-ordinated Scheme with Surrey for the roads and we have picked up that cudgel and have decided to do something about it. In fact I seem to remember that only a few months ago you asked why I agreed to spend £30,000 with Surrey for them to accelerate the Walton CPZ. It’s so we can get some action and something done. Better that than fiddle around and do nothing for another few years. That has brought results.

Supplementary Question asked by C.R. Sadler

I really am fed up with references back to decisions taken by this Council 4 years ago. The fact of the matter is that this Administration has raised charges far above inflation, distorting the whole effect of the car parking charges that were brought in progressively in 2005/2006. I believe that the Leader is trying to get out of it and is trying desperately to avoid taking any further action, despite the public’s clear concern about that. Will the Leader recognise that large elements of the public, not just in Weybridge, Walton or Thames Ditton, are fed up with the current arrangements that we have, and actually do something about rather than simply put off until some unknown date, any action ?

Response given by R.H. Taylor

Actually, I think your conclusion is absolutely untrue. If you ask traders in Weybridge particularly or in Walton, the increase in parking fees and the tiered structure is producing exactly what we wanted. It’s churning customers, churning cars and increasing trade in our town centres. That’s exactly what it was designed to do. Of course people don’t like paying car parking charges, nobody likes paying for petrol or diesel either, but it’s just a fact of life and actually our charges are extremely reasonable. You buy a season ticket if you park every day, you can park for under £2 a day. That is not excessive. I’d have to argue strongly on the statement you made.

Supplementary Question asked by N.C. Cooper

Would the Leader like to repeat that ? That parking charges are improving businesses within the Borough. Has he been to Molesey and seen the number of shops that are continuing to close. If you ask our traders, they would say that Molesey is virtually a no-go area and they would point their finger at car parking charges. Would you like to repeat it, aiming particularly at Molesey ?

Response given by R.H. Taylor

Molesey is quite an interesting place. I have been to Molesey and I have met the traders on more than one occasion and I’m afraid it’s really the mix of trades in Molesey, which are responsible for their own demise. You walk to Bridge Street, also in Molesey and they’re very successful. Not a single vacant shop. You go down Walton Road, adjacent to our car park and it’s a completely different mix of shops and less popular, and I’m sorry, but they may well point their finger at car parking, but I don’t think that is the base of the problem.

Supplementary Question asked by C.R. Sadler

Has the Leader seen this from the Walton Informer, which would have been circulated last week, which simply headlines ‘New parking rules – threat to our Town’?

Response given by R.H. Taylor

I have not seen the article to which you refer.