Standing down - May 2012
Former Liberal Democrat Councillor for Knaphill Learn more
by admin on 23 September, 2009
The recent decisions by Woking Borough Council to not increase parking charges in
There is something wrong with the financial model at the heart of Woking Borough Council that the council needs high parking charges so much. The Council has to substantially subsidise other areas of the council’s activities through charging drivers significantly more than it costs the council to provide the parking facility thereby making a profit out of driving people away from
There is no reason why the council cannot use profit from car parking to run its own very local public transport shuttle service to high demand areas in Woking and anyone such as Conservative Simon Ashall who thinks that only Surrey County Council can run local transport really lacks imagination. It is bad enough that prices in Woking are higher than in Guildford on a Sunday, it is even worse that these higher prices are not going towards environmentally sustainable local transport, such as electrically powered shuttle buses.
Woking Borough Council is proud of the efforts it has been making on the environment, but these token gestures do not go far enough. Tackling climate change and supporting the economy will require innovation, it is the Lib Dems who have the imagination to do this.
Olly,
It’s not that I don’t think that anyone apart from SCC can run public transport – the voluntary sector manages it perfectly well with council support. It’s just that the “profit” you think the car parking service makes is equivalent to the employee and support costs of Corporate Managament and Member Services (for example).
Could you tell us then, if this money is instead to be used to subsidise the public transport that we already pay for through council tax, where the money to fund the staff and management of the council is going to come from? Or will you be seeking to reduce the staffing levels of the council and/or raise council tax?
If you provide more public transport for people, won’t that mean that fewer of them will use the car parks and that car park income will reduce, thereby reducing the money you have to spend on provide this extra service? Then you’ll have to try to get the businesses who benefit to contribute – not easy.
I can’t tell whether you are in favour of reducing car parking charges, thereby attracting people to the town and encouraging car use, or putting them up to raise revenue that will allow investment in environmental schemes. Or both.
Introducing new services as if money is not a factor is not innovative or imaginative. You need to work within the limitations and boundaries that we have on the ground now.
Regards, Simon
Simon,
Thank you for your comments. To answer your questions I am in favour of reducing parking prices and charging hours to ensure parking in Woking is competitively priced to ensure as many people as possible are able to visit Woking. This will be good for local businesses. I favour reducing the number of cars on the road by increasing the amount of public transport available, making it easier for local people to come to Woking town centre. I would spend the profit from parking (reduced by reduced charging) on improved sustainable public transport. I do not accept that the council’s present flawed financial model is the best or only model available. I believe that this model can be changed to improve revenue and reduce costs. Your next likely comment might be to ask me to tell you how. For this I suggest you vote Liberal Democrat at the next local election, after reading our literature of course. The Liberal Democrats propose real change and real change will not come from simply looking to make small changes within the current boundaries such as reducing staffing levels or increasing council tax. The boundaries need to be changed, this will require our imagination and innovation.