Councillors in Burnham-On-Sea have this week voiced their concerns at proposals to hike up parking charges in the town.
Sedgemoor District Council wants to boost its revenue and is proposing an increase in the annual cost of season tickets from £560 to £650, and residents’ season tickets from £280 to £325 per year.
Sedgemoor District Council’s Executive will consider the proposals to parking fees across the area for 2014-2015 at its meeting on November 20th.
Burnham councillors voiced their anger at the inflation-busting plans during a Town Council last night (Monday, November 11th).
Cllr Helen Groves added: “Sedgemoor earns a tidy profit from car parks and this proposed increase could just push people too far and dissuade them from coming to Burnham, thereby reducing Sedgemoor’s revenue overall.”
And Cllr Louise Parkin added: “Given that the Pier Street car park in Burnham is Sedgemoor’s most profitable car park in the whole district, a freeze in parking costs would be more appropriate to recognise the income that Burnham brings in. I see raising the fees will be detrimental to tourism.”
Cllr Chris Williams, above, added: “An increase of this size is completely unjustifiable. It’s also not in line with the government’s guidance to local authorities about not using car parks as ‘cash cows’. A small increase in line with inflation would be more suitable.”
Sedgemoor District Council says it also proposes to retain the summer tourist parking rate for four hour and all-day charges at car parks in Burnham for 12 months rather than the current eight months per year.
“Most residents would park in these car parks for less than four hours so this change should mainly affect off-season tourists,” claims Sedgemoor’s transport officer Tom Dougall.
