Shepway Council’s formal consultation on its parking strategy for
Folkestone is now underway. There will be a rolling programme of
consultation for other areas of the district over the next year. This
strategy has provoked considerable debate already and I would urge
residents to make sure that their views are heard. Last Friday along
with representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and the local business
community, I met with Cllr Malcolm Dearden, the council cabinet member
for parking, and members of the team who are running the consultation.
This meeting was a further chance for us to discuss our concerns about
the potential impact of the strategy for businesses operating in the
town centres of the district. I remain firmly of the opinion that time
limited on the street parking in the town centre shopping areas should
remain free.
I was pleased to note that for the third year running the council
offered free parking in 20 of its car parks in for the shopping
weekend before Christmas. This is an excellent initiative, and when it
was first offered in 2009 led to an increase in shoppers in central
Folkestone of 11% against the same period in the previous year. At
that time the national trend showed a fall in customer numbers, so
this would suggest that low parking charges attract people in to the
town. One point that does come out strongly from the discussions I
have had with people so far is that there is not enough awareness of
some of the existing schemes run by the council that can reduce the
costs of parking for residents. In particular, I’m sure that more
residents could benefit from the parking permit that allows up to
three hours parking everyday of the year for £52. So just £1 a week.
On Tuesday in parliament we debated a major Bill to reform local
government finance that will give councils a fixed percentage for ten
years of the local business rates they collect. If the rates increase
above expectations, they will be able to keep the difference. This,
for the first time in many years, gives councils a financial incentive
to introduce policies to support local businesses. The reforms will
also allow councils to borrow against future business rate receipts to
invest in improving local infrastructure to help create new jobs. I
think these are exciting reforms that could have a positive impact
locally. It would also allow councils to consider with parking, for
example, whether or not increased revenue from charges, could be lost
if business activity declined as a result.
On Wednesday this week I was delighted to be invited to the Chichester
Memorial Hall by the Sandgate Society to give a talk looking back over
my first twenty months as your MP. This was one of a series of monthly
talks run by the Society, and you can find out more about these and
their work on their website www.sandgate-kent.org.uk. The Sandgate
Society also marks its fiftieth anniversary this year, and since 1962
has worked hard to protect and enhance the culture and heritage of the
area. I would like to congratulate them on reaching this significant
jubilee and know that they will continue to go from strength to
strength.