Agenda item

The Board received a presentation from the Environmental Services Manager on the subject of a Car Parking Review that had recently been completed (Appendix 1).

Following delivery of the presentation the following details were discussed:

·                The total cost to the Council in managing car parks in the district was £738k.  However, car parking charges provided the Council with revenue of £1.125 million per annum.

·                The revenue derived from car parking charges had been used to help fund the town centre redevelopment and services such as Shopmobility and BURT.

·                The income accrued from car parking charges was important to the Council’s budget in a difficult economic climate.

·                Car parking charges had not been increased in Bromsgrove district since 2010.  However, the charge for parking for up to half an hour had remained at 40p since 2007.

·                The costs to the Council in managing the enforcement of parking on the Alvechurch Sports and Social Club car park were briefly discussed (Officers agreed to provide further information about these costs at a later date).

·                The impact of budgetary cuts at Worcestershire County Council on the continuing provision of 24 hour CCTV coverage in the car parks was also briefly considered.  (Officers were asked to provide further information about the impact of these cuts for consideration at a later date).

·                The selection of case studies in the report, which reflected practices in locations such as Wychavon and Altrincham were also debated.  Members suggested that it would have been useful to also consider car parking arrangements in Birmingham as, due to the close proximity of the city and its suburbs to Bromsgrove district, these arrangements could potentially impact on retail custom in Bromsgrove.

·                Customers’ preference not to park in multi-storey car parks was debated as well as the implications for revenue at Churchfields car park.

·                The potential significance of car parking charges after 6.00pm to the night time economy was raised (Officers were asked to provide further information about how the revenue accrued from charges after 6.00pm compared to other local authorities).

·                Members commented that there was a need for appropriate visual signs to be used on parking metres that were no longer in use and / or situated in car parks where charging did not apply on specific dates and times.  It was also agreed that more work needed to be undertaken to advise customers that these machines did not need to be used at those times.

·                Consideration of car parking availability and charging regimes had also been taken into account as part of a strategic overview of the redevelopment of the town and as a factor in attracting new retail business to the town centre.

·                The charging model adopted by Trafford Metropolitan Borough Council had been considered as part of the review.  If this model was adopted by Bromsgrove District Council Officers estimated that the Council would lose revenue of £619k.

·                The review had been designed to provide a factual overview of car parking provision in the District.  For this reason potential future options had been listed in the report and the public had not been consulted as part of the exercise.

Members commented that they had originally been asked to review car parking charges by Mr Bateman, on behalf of the Bromsgrove Older People’s forum.  Mr Bateman had suggested that the Board should establish a Task Group to investigate this matter in further detail, though he had also submitted a petition on behalf of the Forum requesting that further action be taken by the Council. 

Members concluded that, due to the on-going redevelopment of Bromsgrove town centre, it was too early to what changes, if any, should be made to car parking charges for the District.  After further consideration of this matter it was

RESOLVED:

(a)       that no further action be taken at this time; and

(b)       that the report be noted.