Call For Review Of Merton Car Park Costs

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Conservatives want strategy review

A plea is being made for a review of the strategy of car parking charges across Merton.

Conservative councillors, who will raise the issue at the borough council's full meeting on Wednesday (February 1), want a review involving residents and businesses.

Their motion to be debated at Wednesday's meeting also calls for the seaonal 5p per 30 minutes reduction in charges at Wimbledon's Hartfield Road and The Broadway car parks to be re-instated.

The reduction, due to expire on January 31, was introduced temporarily for the Christmas and New Year period.

Councillor Henry Nelless (left), the Conservatives' Transport Spokesman, said: "Labour's 5p temporary reduction over the Christmas period in just two of the borough's car parks was more like Scrooge than the Christmas Fairy.

"Whilst we acknowledge that our proposals cannot on their own boost sales in our town centres, they will hopefully assist in the short term with the extension of the tariff reduction and will, in the future, also ensure that the charges levied achieve the right balance between a steady income stream for the Council and a fairly priced option which helps attract visitors to our town centres. We hope that Merton's smaller opposition parties will back us in this call to help local businesses."

The Tories also call for the 5p reduction to be applied to all the borough's car parks.

January 30, 2012