HIKES in Waverley's car parking charges were met with criticism this week with opposition councillors claiming that the rise could be damaging to businesses. The price of using Waverley's car parks went up on Tuesday in a bid to raise an extra £285,000 for the Liberal Democrat-led borough council. However, the move has provoked an angry reaction from the Conservatives, who have claimed that the increase is bad news. As previously reported by The Herald, Waverley Borough Council has increased the price of a two- hour ticket from 60 pence to 70 pence across the borough to raise an extra £70,000 a year. In Haslemere's High Street car park, the existing charges of 40 pence for 45 minutes, 60 pence for two hours, £1 for three hours and 50 pence per hour thereafter have been scrapped. Instead they hve been replaced by a charge of 50 pence per hour, netting the council around an extra £40,000 a year. At Haslemere's Chestnut Avenue car park, affected by the two-hour increase, all- day parking has increased from £2 to £2-50 while the cost of a season ticket has gone up by £100 to £560 a year as part of a standardisation of prices. In Farnham, the Lower Hart car park sees the biggest hike with its previous charges, which were the same as the Haslemere High Street car park, being axed. Instead, shoppers will now have to pay 60 pence an hour, raising an extra £95,000 a year. However, is also hoped that shoppers will use the Upper Hart car park for longer stays in Farnham. Last Thursday morning, Haslemere's Tory borough councillors paid a visit to the town's High Street car park to talk to drivers and hand out leaflets to inform them of the increases. The leader of the Conservative group, David Harmer, told The Herald that the rise at the High Street car park was one of three in the borough about which his party were particularly concerned. He said that the price rise in the High Street car park, along with the increases in the Lower Hart car park in Farnham and at a car park in Cranleigh, could be damaging to local businesses. "This is the second time that the Liberal Democrats have made a significant increase in the car park charges. They have done it to reduce the council tax," he said. "However, there has to be a balance between the effects on the business community and the charges." Mr Harmer told The Herald that in Haslemere's case, there was a risk of people who live to the south of the town choosing to shop and use the services at Midhurst where parking is cheaper. He also pointed out that the car park in Wey Hill, which is currently free, attracts shoppers to the Shottermill area and may attract shoppers away from the High Street to a greater degree as a result of the increases. "The High Street has to maintain its competitiveness otherwise people will either rush into the shops to grab what they want and not stay and use the other shops, or will go somewhere else altogether," he said. "It is vital for the business community that car parking (cost) is kept low." Mr Harmer said that in Farnham the Tories' biggest concern was the large increase from 60 pence for two hours to £1-20. His other major concern was the increase across the borough in the two-hour charge. He said that the previous "low" two-hour charge was set to attract shoppers and he was worried that a higher charge would encourage them to go elsewhere. "When we were in control (of the council) from 1999 to 2003 we kept the two- hour charge low that that very reason," he explained. "It is all about looking after the business community." The Conservative group leader also told The Herald that the councillors had spoken last week to Haslemere shoppers about alternative places to park. He had pointed out that some shoppers could use the cheaper car park in Tanners Lane, which, he said, was under used. He added that older people may not be able to use it because of its distance from the High Street. The Herald spoke to Liberal Democrat councillor John Robini, who said: "The proposals for relatively modest general increases in car-parking charges from February have generated little concern or complaint from the public or the business community. "Compared to other nearby areas such as Guildford, Waverley is still much cheaper. One-off changes have been introduced where circumstances have altered, such as a supermarket being built next to a car park previously receiving low usage. The charges proposed attempt to guarantee parking availability. "For some time now, we have suffered the consequences of failure to raise car- parking charges regularly over the years of the previous Conservative administration. "Perhaps a million has been lost in our base budgets because of this. The Liberal Democrat administration has taken decisive action in a necessary area to generate the money we need to deliver key public services. "Even the district auditor has upbraided the previous Conservative administration for failure to generate a reasonable return from the assets it owned in terms of its car parks. "All in all, the proposals represent a balanced approach to car park management, maintaining affordability and encouraging trade."
