Issue - meetings

To receive and consider report 76/09 of the Head of Commercial Services. 

(Time: 3.39pm to 3.52pm)

The Executive received and considered report 76/09 of the Head of Commercial Services.  This set out how the council could regulate its car parking charges to meet the council’s objectives of covering the cost of the service, influencing usage patterns, and supporting town centre vitality. 

The report set out options for councillors to consider as part of the 2010/11 budget preparation.  Each one would meet the council’s strategic objectives.  These options included:

• Free parking for the first hour

• Free parking after 4pm

• Increasing medium-stay charges

• Increasing long-stay charges

• Increasing permit charges

• Matching the Civic car park charges in Abingdon with those of the adjacent Cattle Market car park

• Reducing the level of enforcement

• Outsourcing the parking service

The Executive agreed to consider these options when preparing its budget for recommendation to the Council in February 2010.  When considering this, the Executive would take into account the petition submitted by the Abingdon shopkeepers and the comments of New River Capital Limited that had been sent to the Chair.  Any new car parking charges would take effect from 1 April 2010. 

RESOLVED

that the car parking charging options be taken into consideration as part of the budget preparation for 2010/11.