Car Park Charges Hypocrisy or Car Park Hypocrisy Charge?

The Chesterfield Labour Party, campaigning against the Chesterfield Liberal Democrat Council in the local elections in May 2011 claimed to reduce these charges if they were elected! We know the Labour Party will deny their evident hypocrisy: yet it is there, in public record, for all to see…as follows:

• Car parking across town has increased this year at least 10p/hour

• The daily Sunday charge has now become an hourly charge (800% increase?)

• Daily parking previously charged to 6.00pm is now charged to 8.00pm hitting all theatre, concert and cultural evening activities

Further, market footfall is down (Cttee Paper 31.07.12) and charges for market traders to stay all day have been increased as follows:

• On Albion Road, from £3.50/day to £9.60/day (160% increase)

• To 60p.hour on Ashgate Road

• At the multi-storey car park from £3.50/day to £7.50/day (100% + increase)

The latter, the public should remember also hits most Town Hall staff and those who work in town. All this from the Party which criticised the previous administration on car parking charges. The Council will, of course, argue their "generosity" of free off peak parking to Chesterfield residents ( Mon-Thurs before 9.30am and after 3.30pm) But these are not exactly peak trading times for our shops and market. The common theme to all the bullet points is of course: "take the money from those with cars, or attend Chesterfield on a Sunday, or those who attend the cultural venues or those who come from out of town (market traders and a wide catchment attending our theatre and concert hall).

To confirm their intention, the Labour Cabinet, in this year's budget produced a car parking income increase of £136,000! They knew exactly what they were doing. At worst this policy is highly hypocritical; at best it is very parochial and damaging to the town's economy. Have they really got a handle on the town's budget? We think not.