Last week it was announced that on-street parking charges will be abolished on Sundays during November and December, however - even though few people currently park in those spaces because of the charges - Hull City Council has decided to pay for its scheme and will be permanently increasing charges by 10% from January.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="169" caption="Cllr Hale, left, with Cllr Steve Brady, leader of Hull City Council"]
[/caption]The deputy leader of the council, Daren Hale, had this to say about the decision:
"This increase was actually approved by the previous Lib Dem council leader, but delayed until after the local elections. That delay has not helped our financial situation. While we regret having to make an increase, it would be typically hypocritical for the Liberal Democrats who approved this increase to criticise us for implementing it."
I spoke to the previous Lib Dem leader of the council and asked him for his comments. He denied the accusation that he had approved an increase in charges, but that really isn't the point. The new administration did not have to vote for these increases, especially after a recent report revealing that a quarter of the city's shops are standing empty. One contributing factor is the high parking charges, and it's not just shopkeepers complaining. In the Hull Daily Mail today, a member of the public had this to say:
"Quite a few people will choose to shop out of town. People will just go to places like St Andrew's Quay and Kingswood because most of the things you need, you can get there. If the council makes parking cheaper or free, rather than more expensive, then more people will come into town."
She is right. St Andrew's Quay and Kingswood have retail parks where you can park for free, and it is very difficult to find a parking space there on weekends - especially Sundays. In comparison, the city centre is empty.
I understand the council has to balance its books and has to make some difficult decisions, but increasing parking charges at a time when businesses are saying they are already too high is not the way to do it. It will be counter productive, and could easily put more people out of business.
If you live, work, or study in Hull, you can sign my online petition, and if you would like a paper copy of the petition to pass around your place of work, please get in touch. The petition was set up before this decision was announced, but please rest assured I will be campaigning against these proposed increases too. Anyone who lives in Hull wants to see the city centre flourish, and the council needs to work with businesses, not against them.A few weeks ago, I wrote about a petition I have set up calling on Hull City Council to abolish on-street parking charges in the city centre on Sundays.
Last week it was announced that on-street parking charges will be abolished on Sundays during November and December, however - even though few people currently park in those spaces because of the charges - Hull City Council has decided to pay for its scheme and will be permanently increasing charges by 10% from January.
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="169" caption="Cllr Hale, left, with Cllr Steve Brady, leader of Hull City Council"]
[/caption]The deputy leader of the council, Daren Hale, had this to say about the decision:
"This increase was actually approved by the previous Lib Dem council leader, but delayed until after the local elections. That delay has not helped our financial situation. While we regret having to make an increase, it would be typically hypocritical for the Liberal Democrats who approved this increase to criticise us for implementing it."
I spoke to the previous Lib Dem leader of the council and asked him for his comments. He denied the accusation that he had approved an increase in charges, but that really isn't the point. The new administration did not have to vote for these increases, especially after a recent report revealing that a quarter of the city's shops are standing empty. One contributing factor is the high parking charges, and it's not just shopkeepers complaining. In the Hull Daily Mail today, a member of the public had this to say:
"Quite a few people will choose to shop out of town. People will just go to places like St Andrew's Quay and Kingswood because most of the things you need, you can get there. If the council makes parking cheaper or free, rather than more expensive, then more people will come into town."
She is right. St Andrew's Quay and Kingswood have retail parks where you can park for free, and it is very difficult to find a parking space there on weekends - especially Sundays. In comparison, the city centre is empty.
I understand the council has to balance its books and has to make some difficult decisions, but increasing parking charges at a time when businesses are saying they are already too high is not the way to do it. It will be counter productive, and could easily put more people out of business.
If you live, work, or study in Hull, you can sign my online petition, and if you would like a paper copy of the petition to pass around your place of work, please get in touch. The petition was set up before this decision was announced, but please rest assured I will be campaigning against these proposed increases too. Anyone who lives in Hull wants to see the city centre flourish, and the council needs to work with businesses, not against them.