LETTER: Don't kill goose that lays the golden egg

The Liberal Democrats oppose the proposal by Chesterfield's Labour-run council to take another £88,000 from town centre visitors and workers by hiking car parking fees even further.
By The Newsroom
Published 9th Feb 2018, 12:13 BST
Updated 9th Feb 2018, 12:15 BST

Already parking charges are higher than competing neighbours.

It currently costs £1.30 an hour at Chesterfield’s Rose Hill car park compared to just £1 an hour in Mansfield or in Sheffield city centre council car parks. Many office workers currently park in the affordable Ashgate Road car park, they are destined to pay double.

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In our view it isn’t as if Labour has been re-investing this money into attracting more shoppers and visitors to Chesterfield.

They have cut town centre festivals and have reduced the Christmas lights to the point where they are an embarrassment rather than an attraction, in our opinion.

Charging more than other rival shopping areas for town centre car parking just puts off ever more visitors. That, in turn, encourages a downward spiral of less shoppers, less shops and market stalls and so, in the end, less car parking income. Truly ‘killing the goose that lays the golden egg.’

Long term improvements such as redeveloping the Co-op are welcome but by the time it’s complete where will the customers be?

Councillor Alexis Diouf

Leader, 
Chesterfield Liberal Democrats

Related topics:LabourChesterfieldLiberal DemocratsSheffieldMansfield