THE recent public meeting gave a clear message to Tavistock Town Council that the pay and display machines throughout the town being proposed by Devon County Council should be resisted by whatever means available.
The town council has been active in making sure that the county council clearly understand the opposition to the proposal.
I have made it clear that I do not believe that such a scheme would result in any benefit to the town, particularly as the original plan to link the installation of machines to a residents parking scheme has been dropped.
Now that Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles has told a parliamentary debate that he would support a referendum on the subject, it may well mean that the decision by Devon County Council to order the pay and display machines before consulting with Tavistock residents was premature.
Mr Pickles has supported the view that town councils could facilitate a referendum to formally establish the view of the people of the town.
The timing of a referendum is still not clear but the new Localism Bill is scheduled to become law early next year. Although any referendum would be non- binding, Devon County Council would be required to take the result into account in their decision making process.
A recent parliamentary briefing that the Government was committed to giving residents the power to have their say on issues of importance to them. I hope Devon County Council is not prepared to deny the people of Tavistock that power by rushing ahead with this plan which can be viewed as a back-door form of revenue raising and a plan which the people and organisations within the town feel will destroy an already fragile existence.
Cllr Harry Smith
Chairman of finance and general purposes committee
Tavistock Town Council
SMALL French towns all seem to offer free parking, and some of the bigger towns, whilst charging to park, have a free car park a little way out of the centre. The French, therefore, support their local shops.
Councils using the motorist as a cash cow are responsible for decimating our town centres. I am horrifed at Devon County Council's proposal to impose parking meters on us.
This will have a further adverse effect for local traders. However, it will also make Tavistock look like many ordinary nondescript towns. Is that what we want?
There are more imginative ways of dealing with parking. Some towns successfully run voucher parking. Tavistock would lend itself beautifuly to one of the 'Shared Space' schemes, which have also been succesful where they have been set up, as was mentioned by your correspondent Terry Hyde (December 9).
Please don't let Tavistock be spoiled further. All that is required is the will and some imagination. Is anyone out there up for it?
Terence Scarborough
Uplands
Tavistock