Petition on parking
Town councillors are calling for opponents of planned parking charges in Southwell to make their feelings known.
They will be collecting signatures on a petition tomorrow urging Newark and Sherwood District Council to reconsider its plans for charges at the Church Street and King Street carparks.
Sunday charging and the lack of residents’ parking permits are particular areas of concern.
Notices will also be placed in shops urging people to make their feelings known to the district council’s portfolio holder for carparks, Mr David Payne.
The district council plans to introduce charges from May 12 when civil parking enforcement begins but residents have until May 2 — one day after the district council cabinet is due to discuss the matter — to object.
An emergency meeting of the cabinet will be held on May 6 to discuss any objections received after May 1.
The proposed charges would mean the first two hours parking would be free, it would cost £1.50 for the next two hours and £1 an hour after that.
The town council is angry that the charges include Sundays and that residents will not be given permits.
Mr Andrew Gregory said the council had reluctantly accepted the charges would be introduced but wanted to make it clear it was opposed to them.
“We are not being pro-active as a town council,” he said. “We should be on David Payne’s doorstep pestering him and saying the residents don’t want this.”
Mr Gregory was concerned that people were not aware of what impact the charges may have.
“I am sure some of the businesses on King Street think they will not be affected,” he said.
He said he suspected fewer than 20 letters of objection had so far been sent to the district council.
“That just shows the apathy at the moment,” he said.
“Whether it’s because people aren’t bothered or because they have seen us [the town council] accept it, I don’t know.
“We need to make sure people are aware of our feelings.
“We have been let down by the district council in every area as far as this is concerned.”
The town council is considering following the lead of Southwell traders and mounting a legal challenge against the parking charges.
The traders have consulted solicitors about a challenge on the basis that the charges are a breach of trust from the original intention for the carpark to be of benefit to the town.
Mr Brendan Haigh said the council should offer moral support to traders and consider taking its own legal action.
He said the council should be seen as representing the best interests of the town.
The town council would base any challenge on its claim that there was no mention of Sunday charging in the district cabinet report or meeting on February 28 when the charges were discussed.
In a letter responding to the claim about Sunday charging, the district council’s head of legal, democratic services and human resources, Karen White, said although the Sunday charges were not stated it was implicit that the same charges would be enforced in Southwell as in Newark, where Sunday charging was stated.
