CAR PARKING increases in West Devon have been revised in a bid to encourage shoppers to stay longer in the towns. Although one and two hour charges have been rounded up by 5p in Tavistock and Okehampton?s main car parks as originally planned, the three to four hour fee has been reduced by 60p. The modified charges follow discussions with local business association representatives and come into effect on June 1. Motorists will also see a reduction of 10p if they park all day in out-of-town car parks and in Chagford and Hatherleigh, shoppers will pay 60p for a stay of up to two hours and £1 for a two to four hour stay. Councillors have agreed to put back the start of charging to 1pm instead of noon on Sundays in Chagford and Hatherleigh, in recognition of the rurality of these car parks and particular issues with on-street parking in those areas. When proposed car parking increases were announced earlier this year, resulting in a one hour charge in town centre car parks, 30p higher than cars parks in North Cornwall and Torridge, business associations voiced their dismay. Tavistock and District Chamber of Commerce secretary Guy Talbot said the borough council regarded its car parks as ?a cash cow to be milked as and when necessary?. But chamber chairman David Scrivener said this week a compromise had been reached: ?I think we realise that putting up the charges was inevitable because of a shortfall in the council?s budget. ?We had a discussion with the borough in terms of getting a better solution and one of the things we wanted was to encourage people to stay longer in the town. That is the reason the three to four hour charge has been reduced. ?If someone stays for four hours they pay 50p an hour which is a lot cheaper than paying for a shorter stay and then having to put more money in the machine when you run out of time, as so often people do.? Cllr Dick Eberlie, chairman of the strategies and resources committee, said: ?The council has had one of the hardest jobs ever, making ends meet this year. ?This is because government grants have not been enough for the increased workload given us, nor do they cover the increased costs charged by our contractors. ?The borough has very few revenue earning assets, and we have to take care to strike a proper balance between income derived from our fees and charges and the level of council tax set in order to arrive at a lawful revenue budget each year.? He said councillors were very aware of the sensitivity of car parking charges with the public: ?It has been calculated that the income that we derive from our car parks currently reduces the council tax bill on the average West Devon Band D property by about £38 each year.? Council members had agreed to work with the traders to develop a longer-term strategy for the future in relation to car park charges and in the implementation of additional car parking provision in Tavistock.
