No U-turn over new parking charges say Dorset Council
They won't be reconsidering the decision.
Despite widespread concerns about new Dorset Council car parking charges and an increase in the hours which need to be paid for the council says it will not be reconsidering its decision.
It also suggests that a bigger review will soon be underway which could lead to further changes.
In a statement, issued on Thursday, the authority says “the changes to parking charges will come into effect in early 2021. There are no current plans to review or reconsider this decision.”
It points out that although the charging period will be extended to include Sundays and to also charge from 8am to 8pm on other days, only a small number of car parks will see a doubling in fees – Lyme Regis (Charmouth Road and Holmbush) and West Bay (East Beach, Station Yard and West Bay Road) where car park charges will be increased from £2 for all day parking to £4. The last review of charges was in April 2014.
The council says that as charges are an ‘operational’ matter it is not required to consult on changes.
The decision to change car parking charges was made by Cllr Ray Bryan, who states:
“I made this operational decision following information from officers, using my powers as Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment.
“We wrote to Town and Parish Councils on Friday morning to inform them of these forthcoming changes, while simultaneously issuing communications to Dorset Council members and the public so they can hear the news directly from us well in advance of the changes coming into effect.
“If these changes were proposals or part of a consultation, we would have engaged with councillors at an earlier stage to discuss. That said, I give my assurance to all Dorset Councillors and town and parish councils that they will be fully involved in the wider policy review of car parking charges early next year.”
The council say decision to extend the chargeable period by two hours (from 6pm to 8pm) and to introduce paying to park on Sundays applies to car parks in eight locations: Beaminster, Blandford, Bridport, Dorchester, Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Sherborne and Sturminster Newton.
It says the Sunday parking decision was made to provide consistency across the Dorset Council area, bringing these car parks into line with other council-run car parks.
Said the council statement:
“Dorset Council’s car parks cost money to run. Costs include resurfacing, patrolling, and maintenance of payment facilities. Dorset Council also pays business rates on car parks. It is essential that parking charges cover the cost of running and providing these facilities.
Dorset Council is also looking to introduce a council-wide shoppers’ permit which will provide good value parking for Dorset residents, in turn supporting the local economy. The permit has run in West Dorset for 23 years and provides shoppers with discounted parking in short stay car parks to help them shop locally. A shoppers’ permit consultation will start this autumn to help evaluate the proposal.”
The council has also confirmed that a wider review of the policy for car parking charges is planned for early next year. This will look at all charges across Dorset Council-run car parks as well as permits, season tickets and any other new incentives alongside wider parking charge changes.