Car parking charges in Ipswich are too high
Car parking charges at car parks managed by the Labour led Ipswich Borough Council are too high. I’m not surprised that the responses to my Town centre survey show that over 75% agree with this view. Only approximately 10% disagree.
When it comes to getting people into our Town centre there’re perhaps bigger factors. Such as fear of crime and anti-social behaviour. However I do think more effort should be done by the Labour led Council to ensure that car park charges are set competitively and in a way that allows us to better attract people to our Town centre and to take away disincentives. There’re plenty of examples across the region of different councils taking this approach and giving the Town centre or City centre they’re responsible for a much-needed boost.
There’re different approaches that could be taken. An across the board cut in the per hour rate or other approaches such as having the first hour free.
I appreciate that Council budgets are under strain but I don’t think that council finances should be propped up by a reliance on overly high car parking charges. This is a very counter productive and self defeating approach.
I have written to the leadership of the Borough Council making clear my views and sharing the responses to my Town centre survey on this important question. I wrote about it this week in my weekly column.