Parking charges to be slashed

PARKING plus . . . Paul Hughes outside his Yorkshire Street fashion shop where parking charges will be reduced

COUNCIL chiefs are to slash on-street car parking charges in Oldham town centre to help businesses and residents fight the credit crunch.

The move is a victory for traders who slammed the sky-high parking prices on town centre streets and said they were driving shoppers away.

Oldham Council says the reduction will be “considerable” but will not release figures until it has consulted with businesses — though traders involved in talks say charges will be halved.

The authority has drawn up four options to be discussed with traders at a meeting next Tuesday, ranging from slashing a percentage off prices to having different pricing bands depending on the time used. The initiative was agreed at the latest meeting of the Credit Crunch War Cabinet, set up to deal with problems caused by the recession.

It’s expected to cost around £100,000 in reduced car parking income and would be funded by the War Cabinet’s £400,000 Rapid Intervention Fund.

Paul Hughes, owner and manager of Zutti Co and chairman of the local Business Improvement District Committee (BID), is delighted.

He called for changes in February when he described parking charges on Yorkshire Street as “absolutely scandalous” and said it was 40 per cent cheaper to park in fashionable areas in the centre of Manchester.

He said motorists pay 40p per 15 minutes and would complain when coming into his shop.

He said: “The plan is to halve all the on-street car parking charges in Oldham town centre. It’s a fantastic idea. On-street charges are imperative, but halving them is fair and realistic.

“More people will stop and there should be nobody risking not paying. I could never see the fairness of someone having to pay 40p to collect something they have already bought from our shop or to stop outside the paper shop and buy an Evening Chronicle.”

He said the change had been instigated by BID in partnership with the council.

Traders had complained about the charges at Oldham Town Centre Partnership meetings and breakfast briefings.

Council leader Councillor Howard Sykes said: “It is crucial that we as a council listen to the concerns of businesses and residents.

“The health of the high street was highlighted to us as a major concern. Obviously, the closures of some national retailers, like Woolworths, cannot be influenced by what we do locally, but there are times when we can intervene and play a positive role in helping to support and secure the future of independent traders.

“What we also had to consider is that if traders do close down their shop units are likely to be empty for some time. That can cause blight and even set up a ‘chain reaction’ in an area.

“We are therefore prepared to make a considerable reduction in the current charging levels and we look forward to hearing traders’ views on the new pricing structure so that it works best for them.”

Last year it was revealed that Oldham drivers forked out almost £2.5 million in parking charges in 2007, from car park charges to parking fines, earning the council £812,000 after costs.