A SHOCK decision by East Hampshire District Council’s Cabinet to increase car park charges in Alton and Petersfield by up to 66 per cent from June 5 has been “called in”.

The ‘call-in’ request came from a group of Alton councillors, led by Dean Phillips of Alton Eastbrooke, after he resigned from Cabinet, citing the car-parking issue as “the straw that broke the camel’s back”.

Mr Phillips was supported in his request by fellow councillors David Orme (Alton Wooteys), Andrew Joy (Alton Ashdell), Edward Brandt (Alton Westbrooke), and Charles Louisson (Ropley and Tisted).

The reason given for the challenge is “so proper consideration can be given to the (parking strategy) report with specific emphasis on potential concessions and to hear representations and to understand the impact of affected communities.”

Cabinet’s decision to hike up the car-parking charges has caused uproar in Alton with an extraordinary public meeting of Alton Town Council called to discuss the matter.

The Alton Society is up in arms, as is Alton Matters, whose members (mainly independent traders) met on Monday evening to decide on a course of action.

According to Alton Matters chairman Tanya Applegarth, members may have coped with an increase of 10p, in line with inflation, but they were stunned at the 40p increase on a basic one-hour ticket.

They did, however, come up with three proposals, focusing on areas that EHDC may be prepared to compromise on.

Firstly, to join Alton Town Council in asking for a scheme whereby people paying £1 to park for one hour would get an additional half an hour free – a “win-win situation” which would ensure that EHDC gets its money while encouraging visitors to stay longer in the town.

Secondly, to convert the Mount Pleasant and Victoria Road car parks to long stay, offering better value parking for workers, and thirdly to offer free all-day parking on Sundays.

There was concern too over proposals to increase the cost of season tickets by up to 14 per cent in town centre car parks and to phase out resident discounts so that by 2021-22 there will be no discount.

While the town’s residents associations are said to be vehemently opposed to the proposals, Alton Matters is concerned that businesses will no longer be able to afford season tickets and that it will lead to yet more workers parking on residential streets.

Angry at what is perceived as an “unfair tax” on Alton and Petersfield, Alton Matters has launched a Facebook petition on social media which, at the time of going to press, had already attracted more than 760 signatures, with paper petitions in businesses throughout the town, opposing the proposed 66 per cent rise in car-parking charges in Alton.

The petitions were instigated by Alton Matters member Jackie Parker, of Little Vintage Interiors, whose fear was that “any increase in car-parking charges would not encourage footfall into town”.

Dismayed, not just over the decision by EHDC to impose a hike in car-parking fees, but by the way in which it was made, Alton Society chairman Nicky Branch asked: “Why is EHDC treating our town with such disdain? There has been no consultation with the town council, still less with local residents, and maybe due process was not followed in calling last week’s Cabinet meeting at such short notice – presumably the reason why five local members “called in” the decision.

“By this cavalier attitude it’s as if EHDC has deliberately set out to sabotage the efforts to improve our High Street. It’s a stab in the back for Julie McLatch, our business development manager, and others who are working so hard to improve the vibrancy of our town centre.

“It beggars belief that Alton Town Council had no knowledge of the proposal until the agenda was published a day before the meeting. But full marks to our town clerk for initiating a late intervention, urging EHDC to reconsider.

“We can only hope that the East Hampshire District Council meetings now called for Monday, May 15, will be a chance to see sense, and to think again.”