Stone Christmas shoppers hoping for an early festive gift of free parking from Stafford Borough Council will not get their wish granted this year – despite a bid to bring back the treat.
The authority has previously waived parking charges on Saturday afternoons in the run-up to December 25. However, the festive bonus was axed in January this year to save costs as part of the budget set by the previous Conservative administration.
Councillor Ralph Cooke, then an opposition group member, called for the concession to stay in January, but his proposal failed to gain enough support from fellow councillors and was not passed.
Following the elections in May, the council administration has since changed hands, with Labour, Stafford Borough Independents and Green Party members in the cabinet. Labour Councillor Cooke is now cabinet member for resources – and it was a Conservative opposition group member, Mike Dodson, who asked for free Christmas parking to return this festive season.
Speaking at the recent full council meeting, Councillor Dodson said:
“We have no need to increase fees and charges on our residents unnecessarily. We should not increase fees and charges, and we should offer free parking in the car parks after 12pm for 10 days before Christmas.
“The council’s income is in such rude health that we do not need any increase. And we are in a position where we can promote the health of our retail sector by providing free parking in the afternoon over 10 days before Christmas in both Stafford and Stone.”
Council leader Aidan Godfrey branded the proposal “nonsense” however. And it failed to gain enough support to be approved, with 13 members voting in favour, 23 against and one abstention.
We asked the Stone-based representatives who sit on Stafford Borough Council for their response to the proposal, with the group issuing the following statement:
“Dropping the free parking days in the period before Christmas was agreed by the previous Conservative administration. Their new proposal for free parking during the 10 days leading up to Christmas is cynical. Not once during their 20 years in power did they offer such a concession – yet having lost control, they now suggest it is viable – despite the Council having received no confirmation of the usual Government support for Local Authorities.
Experience anyway indicates that offering free parking does not make any difference to the number of people using our car parks in the run-up to Christmas. However, it does reduce Council revenues and adversely impacts on Council support of the service, including car park upkeep, parking machine maintenance, CCTV operations, and Parking Officers.
Car park charges also ensure that spaces are available for the shopper rather than commuters who might otherwise take up the spaces and limit the opportunities for shoppers.
We all want a vibrant town centre, and the Stone members of Stafford Borough Council and Stone Town Council are working to support this, as evidenced by the many town centre events such as Farmers Markets and the recent Christmas Lights switch on which attracted several thousand residents to the centre.
In essence, people shop in attractive places with good shops offering good customer service, attractive merchandise and a range of hospitality opportunities. Stone is able to offer all three despite the difficult economic climate nationally following 13 years of Conservative austerity which has made life difficult for residents, traders and Councils across the UK.
Had the Conservatives considered their proposal to not increase fees and charges, and offer free parking in the run up to Christmas to be affordable, achievable and realistic, it would have been contained within their May election manifesto earlier in the year. It wasn’t!
Stafford Borough Independents”
