Council must lift the barrier
Sir, – In response to the letter in ‘The Northern Scot’ last week, headed ‘Gap in the Authority’s Budget has to be Plugged Somehow’ we would like to submit the following.
We are aware that there are extreme challenges on the local authority to balance their budget, but it does not necessarily follow that reducing parking charges will leave a hole in the budget which would then lead to an impact on other services. It may actually be that revenue will increase if the charges are reduced. Basic economics state that if something does not sell, you reduce the cost (and in car parking terms, especially if there is spare capacity/space available).
Look at the numbers using the car parks in Decembe, 2010 and December, 2011 (after the charges were reduced). The number of tickets (up to one hour and up to two hours) in December, 2010 was 37,000, while the number sold in the equivalent period in December, 2011 (ie: up to 2 hours) was 8,000 more. There was also an increase in the number of longer-stay tickets for two to four hours, therefore no evidence of more people staying for up to two hours reducing numbers from the longer-stay periods.
You could argue that this was December and therefore traditionally a busy time, but the comparison is for the same period in both years, and clearly shows increased usage. Surely, then, in the long run, this may actually increase revenue to the council.
Currently the number of monthly tickets sold at £75 per month is 14. If the council were to reduce this figure to a more acceptable level – say £40 per month – they would only have to sell 27 tickets per month to ensure that no revenue is lost. Based on the research and surveys carried out by Elgin BID, it is very likely that there will be in excess of 27 tickets sold per month. Indeed, the unit cost per ticket sold in relation to staff administration costs would surely reduce. Why not consider the introduction of an annual ticket with a further 10% discount? This is surely more acceptable, would reduce administration time and reduce the pressure on the residential streets.
The writer from last week highlighted the fact that short-term parking is indeed cheaper in Inverness than Elgin, but also highlighted that longer-term parking – 10 hours or more – was in fact £1 dearer than Elgin. What the writer failed to clarify was that this is in one city-centre car park in Inverness (Falcon Gallery). The others are in fact £4 for nine to 24 hours’ parking (Rose Street and Eastgate Centre).
We must also remember that all the city centre car parks have the following pricing structure for shorter-stay car parking: Rose Street – one hour, £0.80; two to four hours, £1.50, four to nine hours, £3. Eastgate Centre/Falcon Gallery and Strothers Lane – up to four hours, £2; up to six hours, £3.
Inverness Rose Street also offers a short stay, up to 30 minutes, for 20p. This is something that has been advocated strongly by a number of businesses in the city centre.
We accept that there is no simple answer to this, and when the charges are reduced, it has to be done logically and for the long term, so that the general public, city-centre workers, visitors and shoppers know where they stand, and equally important the council know where they stand in terms of their budget year on year. This will allow all who have an interest in the future of Elgin city centre and Moray to concentrate on the big issues.
I will also reiterate, for the avoidance of any doubt, that we know there is a lot more to be done to improve our city centre, and that car parking charges are not the only issue, but car parking charges have a serious impact on footfall and thus the vibrancy of our city centre.
The council have stated that their existing pricing structure is out of date. We know that there is no logic in the charges currently being charged in Elgin. Inverness saw fit to reduce their charges two years in ago in response to the recession and increased challenges to High Street retailers and other services. We know that Elgin suffers from the leakage of consumers to Inverness and Aberdeen. BID is striving to rectify this.
Our local authority needs to recognise the significant barrier posed by high car parking charges. Trialling a reduced pricing structure will surely support the building of an evidence base which can then support a realistic and acceptable pricing structure for the long-term future.
The SNP group have made it very clear that if charges were looked at, it has to be in a strategic way so that it is right for the long term. That is exactly what the Elgin BID team has recommended in its two car parking reports. There is evidence of support from the Labour group, which is encouraging. It’s time that action is taken, and sooner rather than later. The evidence speaks for itself; people have voted by their actions, and it’s time to listen.
Next week we will be submitting feedback from prospective candidates for the local elections prior to May 3; it is interesting to note that 62% took time to reply to our request for their views. – Yours etc,
Jacqui Taylor,
Elgin BID Manager.
