Boss hits out on parking charges

An angry Stafford businessman has challenged a council chief to prove that parking charges in the borough have not risen for four years.

Robert Macfarlane, of letting agency M D Properties in Church Lane, claims the charge for the council's long-stay car park at Doxey Road had in fact risen in 2006.

The borough council introduced its new rates on January 2.

Mr Macfarlane said the increases have upset his staff and he has urged the borough council to consider introducing a park-and-ride service at Stafford Common for people working in the town centre.

Members of his staff who parked at the car park, off Chell Road, were shocked to find the cost of parking for the day had gone up from £3 to £4 and they faced a £20 bill for a full week.

Cabinet member for planning and regeneration councillor Doug Davis had claimed the increased charges for borough council car parks were being raised for the first time in four years.Short-stay parking rates in Stafford have gone up from 70p to £1 for an hour (up 42.9 per cent), £1 to £1.80 for two hours (80 per cent), £2 to £2.40 for three hours (20 per cent) and stay at £3 for four hours. Long-stay charges covering 10 hours rose from £3 to £4 (33.3 per cent).

But Mr Macfarlane said that the long-stay rates had been raised from £1.80 a day to £3 as recently as 2006.

"I know because I agreed to subsidise them at £1 a day towards the increased costs of parking at the car park near Sainsbury's. I would bet Councillor Davis £1,000 that I am right and he is wrong in saying there had been no rise for four years."

Councillor Davis said he did not recall any increase in 2006.

"I was talking about all the car park charges. There may have been some adjustments for long-stay parking," he said.

Councillor Davis said Mr Macfarlane's idea to use the common for a park and ride scheme was not possible.

"We could not use common land. We would be more than happy to run a park and ride scheme in conjunction with the county council, but we do not have a suitable site at the moment. With all the development going on in Stafford at the moment it is difficult to find a solution to this," he added.