I AM writing in the hope that members of West Devon Borough Council will reconsider their proposals for the draconian increase in parking charges which will make Tavistock and Okehampton the most expensive small market towns in Devon to visit. The rate of increase in these charges is preposterous with the daily tickets going up £2 (40% increase) through to the annual season tickets going up by £415, which is 177%! All this is proposed at the same time as the new business rates assessments are going out to all traders with an increase in the order of 60%. This not only affects the people of West Devon but also all visitors and tourists. Our main catchment area is Plymouth, which is redeveloping the heart of its city centre with a £220-million new shopping centre. Whilst this is causing chaos in the city, this should be the ideal time to encourage shoppers to come to Tavistock and Okehampton by keeping parking prices low so they can see what delightful places they both are. Shopping is very much a habit and when Plymouth?s new shopping centre is built in 2006 the full effect of West Devon?s folly will be realised as shoppers will remember the high cost of visiting Tavistock and not come to West Devon any more. It will be too late then to rectify the huge damage that will have been caused. It would appear that West Devon Borough Council are using the businesses and users of Tavistock and Okehampton to subsidise the council tax of outlying areas which either do not have parking or do not charge for parking. The provision of car parking by the local authority should be a service for the benefit of the whole community and not a stealth tax on those who either generate employment, work in or use the facilities that these towns offer. One also has to query why the council?s own large car park at Kilworthy Park is immune from any charges? Tavistock is famous for its Goose Fair but West Devon Borough Council is now proposing to kill the goose that laid the golden egg that made Tavistock the Best Market Town in Britain. John G Taylor Chairman, Tavistock Forward CAR park charges up 40% in one year? We all know that West Devon Borough Council has a budget problem. But I can?t get my business out of trouble by increasing prices by 40%. I must cut my overheads, improve my service and keep my customers. West Devon Borough Council, with the proposed excessive increase in car park charges, is going to send many of our customers away. At West Devon Borough Council offices, Kilworthy Park, on Tuesday February 8, I counted 70 cars parked free. If West Devon Borough Council charged themselves the lowest all day out of town car park rate with a smart card £1.44 a day, based on a five-day week, this would raise £37,500 per year. That would help their budget deficit. Don?t kill this Best Market Town with the most expensive car park charges in the whole area, including Plymouth. Dave McDowell Kountry Kit Ltd, Tavistock
