James Cockram, Paul Moorby and the Mayor, Margaret Taylor have differing views on whether parking charges would hit tradeDEVIZES traders have reacted angrily to a suggestion that Kennet District Council is considering charging for parking in the Market Place.

The council wants to bring in charges for parking in the centre of the square as a way of bridging an estimated deficit of £300,000 in the budget for 2005/06.

It was one of a number of recommendations made at the recent meeting of the council's budget reduction sub-committee and councillors asked officers to prepare a report on the viability of introducing parking charges in the Market Place, where parking is currently free.

"What do they want to do, kill the town?" said Christopher Poyser of Urban Rustics in High Street.

"It is bad enough what they've done in cutting the number of parking spaces in the centre. Don't they realise that we live in a rural community and the internal combustion engine is an essential part of life here."

James Cockram, manager of Jag Communications in the Market Place, said: "Not one person has a good thing to say about parking in the town, so they will not like this idea. Free parking in the Market Place is ideal. You will see, at least in the short term, an effect on business in the town centre."

Chris Gibson of Devizes Photo Imaging said: "Are they trying to drive us out of business? This is going to affect everyone's business around here. We are competing with free parking in places like Trowbridge and Melksham. People are going to vote with their feet."

Devizes town centre manager Janet Duffield said the timing couldn't be worse for the regeneration of the town centre.

She said: "At this stage in the town's regeneration I would be concerned at discouraging people from parking in the town.

"In the short term it is not the best move when we are trying to encourage more people to come here."

Mayor Margaret Taylor, a Kennet councillor, said she will be contesting any plan to introduce parking charges in the Market Place.

She told the Gazette: "I don't think the economy of the Market Place could stand us taking away free parking.

"This is the most vulnerable area of the town's retail sector.

"Also, I don't think the clutter of ticket machines and signs would exactly enhance this very sensitive part of the conservation area.

"What happens when we want to hold an event in the Market Place? Kennet will complain it is losing revenue from car parking and it will have to go before a committee.

"That means we will rely on the whim of a committee to gain use of our own Market Place. That can't be right."

Kennet District Council warned in July that it would have to tighten its purse strings to balance its books, thanks to smaller and smaller grants from Central Government.

Its Revenue Support Grant, the amount paid by the Government to cover its expenses, fell this year by £649,000 and next year's grant is not expected to be any higher.

The council warned it would have to raise an extra £95,000 in revenue from parking charges to meet some of the deficit.

It is also being pressed by the county council to introduce decriminalised parking, in which offenders would be taken to a civil court rather than the magistrates' court, which would cost the district council £269,000 to set up and £210,000 a year to run.

Not everyone is averse to introducing parking charges for the Market Place.

Andrew Maclachlan, landlord of the Bear Hotel, said: "A lot of people complain that they are only given an hour to park. If they bring in charging, it may enable them to stay longer, which would help our customers who tend to arrive at the end of the day and want to park overnight."

Paul Moorby of Little House of Coffee in the Market Place felt the parking charges, if kept to a reasonable level, wouldn't have a disastrous effect on business.

He said: "There is never an empty space there.

"It might reduce the amount of business to the town, mainly because people will stay longer and there will be fewer spaces available."

The report on charging for parking in the Market Place is likely to be discussed and a final decision taken by Kennet's community development executive committee at its meeting on January 18.

Other charges looming

A NUMBER of other recommendations were made to Kennet District Council's budget reduction sub committee last month in a bid to balance the council's books in the coming financial year.

Although the meeting was held behind closed doors councillors agreed to consider the following:

1. Leisure centre income in excess of that budgeted for be set aside in an ear-marked reserve to help meet VAT liabilities or income shortfalls;

2. Officers be instructed to bring a report to the Community Development Executive Committee seeking a general increase in car parking charges from April 2005.

The pattern of parking charges to be looked at as part of that report.

3. A target of £50,000 for staff savings, that is, not replacing officers who leave, be used to support budgets in all departments.