Parking charge rise 'should not have surprised' (From South Wales Guardian)
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Parking charge rise 'should not have surprised'
7:00am Friday 18th January 2013 in News
Parking charge rise 'should not have surprised'
CARMARTHENSHIRE County Council say the recent rise in parking charges were announced in 2010 to ease the effect of their introduction and should not have come as a surprise to anyone.
They were responding to butcher Martin Jones’ claims last week that the parking fee hikes were driving potential customers away from the town centre.
Mr Jones told the Guardian shoppers were snubbing Ammanford in favour of neighbouring towns with free parking.
But a county council spokesman said that in 2010 it was agreed parking charges would be increased every year over the following four years.
The reasons for the rises, he said, were that “income from parking charges contributes to the council’s overall revenue budget which, over the next four years, is facing severe financial pressure.
“There is also a need to generate income to facilitate improvements in car park standards that include signage, surfacing, structural repairs, maintenance, retaining safe car parks status for a number of our car parks and, where possible, expand to other car parks.”
The spokesman added: “These increases were announced in 2010 and wellpublicised at the time so they should not have been a surprise to anyone.”
Meirion says...
10:17am Fri 18 Jan 13
Upon removing his spin doctrine hat; is he not aware of the current economy compared to 2010. Or, is his salary that high that he does not feel the effect from it.
There is a new administration in force with many Ammanford councillors on senior "professional Councillor" roles.
Do they not have an ultimate public duty to represent the interest of those that re-elected them considering the amount of public money spent in the regeneration of Ammanford.
It is time to look again at the failings in 2010 and reintroduce foot traffic over the what can only be currently seen as over indulgence of public funds at a cost to struggling local businesses.