Council asked to urgently reconsider free car parking for Rugeley
Calls to urgently reconsider free car parking in Rugeley have been turned down – despite community leaders saying action is needed now to help the town’s businesses on their road to recovery.
Rugeley Town Council offered up to £30,000 to Cannock Chase Council to provide free car parking to visitors for a year.
Hednesford visitors already benefit from free parking as part of an existing arrangement in that town.
But Rugeley’s request was declined by Cannock Chase Council’s cabinet in January – although members did agree to consider a trial scheme for refunding car parking charges if visitors used shops or hospitality venues in the town. A review of the council’s car parking strategy is also set to be carried out as part of the new corporate plan for 2021-24.
The cabinet decision was called in for reconsideration by five councillors and discussed at a community scrutiny committee meeting on Monday.
Rugeley councillor Justin Johnson submitted the call-in request. It stated: “At present, it could be argued that the reasoning and analysis behind cabinet’s recent decision are unclear, particular when the current charging structure unfairly disadvantages residents and businesses in Rugeley and Cannock.
“Cannock Chase District Council has a responsibility to support economic recovery across the whole district and, as such, the main town centres in Cannock, Hednesford and Rugeley should be treated equally and local businesses supported to thrive.”
Fairness
Councillor Doug Smith, who supported the call-in, said: “There is a disparity across the district in charges if they are levied. It is a matter of fairness and this needs to be looked into.”
Councillor Samantha Thompson said: “At the end of the day I believe all three towns should be treated equally. You do it for one, you do it for all three.”
Rugeley councillor Olivia Lyons said action was needed urgently to help the town’s businesses on the road to recovery from the pandemic. She raised concerns about how long a feasibility study on the trial scheme would take.
She said: “I think that lacks commitment to any immediate action. All being well, non-essential retail should re-open on April 12.
“Look at the feasibility study for the toilets in Elmore Park – we are 18 months down the line. We don’t have 18 months post-pandemic for something which is going to impact businesses.”
Councillors supporting the call-in of the cabinet decision said it should be referred to the full council for re-consideration. They also asked for Rugeley Town Council’s offer to be revisited and wider car parking arrangements to be considered as a matter of urgency, with a timeframe agreed to support local businesses during the immediate recovery period.
'Can of worms'
But their requests failed to gain enough support from the scrutiny committee, with just five members voting in support and seven against.
Councillor Josh Newbury, cabinet member for environment and climate change, said at the January meeting that if the authority took up the £30,000 offer to provide free parking in Rugeley it would be unable to claim back up to 75% of car park takings lost during the pandemic as part of a Government funding offer to local authorities.
A cabinet report said that the proposal for 12 months’ free car parking in Rugeley would lead to a loss of £67,000 income to the district council based on the budget provision for 2021/22.
Councillor Frank Allen said: “I can see the thinking behind this motion. In an ideal world that’s what we would all support.
“Unfortunately we are not living in an ideal world at all and we are just going through one of the worst pandemics in anybody’s lifetime. I went through a war and I don’t think things were as bad then as they are today. Financially we are very stressed indeed.”
Councillor Paul Woodhead said: “I think everyone would like free car parking – there was a time when free car parking was across the area. But paying for car parking is a reality of most town centres – people are used to that.
“I applaud the sentiment of Rugeley Town Council asking for this for their town but I don’t like the comparisons with Hednesford.”
Councillor Paul Witton said that if free parking was brought in for Rugeley as well as Hednesford, Cannock visitors would still be paying to park.
“If we go down this route it will open a can of worms”, he added.
“There is no evidence introducing free car parking in Rugeley and Cannock will increase footfall.
“I think the cost to the council would be horrendous. A loyalty scheme is the best way forward.”
