SOUTHPORT shoppers could see the return of the lower price 30 minute hour pay & display charge if councillors agree the change at this Thursday’s Sefton Council budget meeting.
The Council U-turn has been hailed as a “common sense” by Southport Lib Dem councillors. They strongly opposed the change to a one hour minimum charge when it was brought in by the controlling Labour group two years ago.
If agreed, the new short term parking tariff, costing 80p for 30 minutes, is planned to be introduced from the start of June. The charge for 60 minutes would remain at £1.50.
Welcoming the proposed change, Birkdale Lib Dem councillor Simon Shaw says:
“We told the Labour councillors that scrapping the previous cheaper 30 minute parking fee was a big mistake but sadly they would not listen. It is good to finally see common sense prevail with this proposed U-turn.”
“Labour pushed through the 2016 Sefton Council budget – which we opposed – on the basis that it was meant to generate an extra £90,000 of parking income. We always said that was highly doubtful, and so it has turned out.”
“We argued at the time that there was only one way that scrapping the 30 minute charge might have generated anything like the £90,000 budgeted for. That would have been if lots of motorists still only stopped for 20 or 25 minutes even though they now were being forced to pay for 60 minutes. In practice, as we predicted, most people quite rightly want to get what they pay for.”
Cllr Shaw says the proposed change is good news for residents, for visitors to the town as well as for retailers and other businesses.
“Obviously 30 minutes isn’t enough for many people’s needs, but to be forced to pay £1.50 when all you want to do is pop into one shop or pay a quick visit to a bank, has certainly not been the way to help shoppers or businesses in Southport.”
““The only regret is that the controlling Labour Party didn’t listen to us two years ago but I suppose it’s a case of ‘better late than never’ .”
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