Town council accuses unitary authority of “complete failure” on parking changes

Town councillors in Shrewsbury have accused Shropshire Council of a “complete failure” to engage with town residents, as it added to calls to scrap planned parking charge increases.

Shropshire Council says the county-wide increases, due to take effect from April 1,  will raise £1.7m to upgrade and maintain the car parks it manages.

But the policy will be ‘called-in’ for review following over the next fortnight following a backlash from the Shrewsbury’s traders, led by the Shrewsbury BID business forum.

Now, Shrewsbury Town Council has called on the unitary authority to recognise the “profound and serious impact” posed by the plan, and has called for the rises to be cancelled.

“Shrewsbury Town Council has great concerns about the recently announced car parking charge increases and changes to the evening and Sunday charging policy,” they said.

“We therefore call upon Shropshire Council to recognise the serious issues for residents, workers, businesses and visitors.”

A motion proposed by leader Councillor Alan Mosley and supported by a full meeting of the town council last night (January 29) said the new charges posed a “significant risk” to the town centre economy, and accused Shropshire Council of a failure to engage with residents and businesses over the proposals.

“There has been a complete failure by Shropshire Council to have any meaningful engagement with businesses or the wider public on the rationale and potential impact of the changes,” it said.

“The changes are contrary to proposals within the movement strategy aimed at encouraging parking outside of the river loop.

“Many will be deterred from using designated car parks and will seek on-street parking around the town centre, much to the detriment of local residents.

“Shrewsbury Town Council calls for a halt to the current plans for changes to evening and Sunday car parking arrangements and where increases in charges are above the current rate of inflation.”

Porthill Councillor Julian Dean called on Shropshire Council to cancel any increase until a detailed parking strategy had been worked up by the authority.

“The left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing [at Shropshire Council]. It was clear that there were senior people who were completely blind sided by this proposal,” he told the meeting.

“There’s a real risk that these charges will blow off course the new movement strategy.”

The planned hikes will be reviewed by a meeting of the Shropshire Council’s Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee at a date to be decided in the next few weeks, following official call-in requests from both the Liberal Democrat and Labour parties.

The committee will look again at the policy, with the option to either uphold the original decision or refer it back to full council to decide whether to proceed.