Our seaside town is being ruined as greedy council hikes parking fees 300% overnight next month – we won’t go out at all
LOCALS in a seaside town say it’s being ruined by the greedy council who are set to hike parking fees by a whopping 300 per cent next month.
Parking on the seafront in Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, is to rise from £1.40 an hour to a whopping £5.60 an hour.
Residents have accused town hall bosses of “daylight robbery” and “shocking greed” in the middle of a cost of living crisis.
They say the rises are “abhorrent profiteering” that will leave disabled, elderly and less wealthy people unable to enjoy the resort.
Parking charges across the city are set to rise steeply with parks, attractions and the seafront among the worst-affected areas.
Doctors, nurses and support staff at the Royal Sussex County Hospital will see their parking charges rise from £7.60 a day to £22.70.
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Drivers claim the plans - drawn up by the previous Green administration - are part of war against motorists.
The controversial council is already under fire for closing almost all the city’s public toilets.
Janine Edwards, 45, said: “This is the latest example of daylight robbery by the council.
“So many disabled and elderly people simply won’t be able to afford to go out.
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'ABHORRENT PROFITEERING'
“The rise is absolutely massive. It’s abhorrent profiteering. Why can’t they just put charges up by inflation? It is so unfair.”
Sarah Venables, 28, a disabled resident, said: “Not everyone is able to use public transport or cycle.
“As a disabled person, not eligible for an electric wheelchair, I have a motability car and can’t get around without it.
“Now, it will just have to stay parked at home.”
In some areas, parking for just four hours will go from £5.50 to £15.70 and for 11 hours from £7.60 to £22.70.
An A&E doctor at the Royal Sussex County Hospital said the charges would make it hard for some staff to continue to work at the hospital.
He said: "Due to difficult shift times and irregular hours it is not possible to use public transport to get to the hospital.
"It's bad enough there is no parking here and we have to pay, but the increases would mean some staff would be £100 worse off a week.
"This is blatantly ridiculous and the council needs to have a long hard look at these charges because they are unfair.
"If they go ahead with them then I think some people will not be able to afford to work here."
Michael Beevor, 52, a resident, said: “How the hell can this be allowed? We’re all being used as cash cows by the council.
“There should be a mass refusal to pay either the charges or the fines that follow. We need a revolution.”
Eamonn McCabe, 62, said: “This is just a tax by the council and a way of ripping us off to balance their irresponsible spending.”
This is just a tax by the council and a way of ripping us off to balance their irresponsible spending
Eamonn McCabe
The charges are due to be brought in overnight on July 17 in time for the summer holidays.
The charges are the latest step in cutting traffic from the resort.
The local authority also came under fire earlier this year after unveiling plans to remove all coin-operated pay and display machines in favour of app-only machines.
Residents say it will unduly impact on the elderly and people who can’t afford smart phones.
Last month the Green administration was all but wiped out in the local elections over dissatisfaction over the way they had run the council.
Residents cited the Greens preference for prioritising costly eco-policies over improving bin collection, maintaining the roads and keeping the city clean.
REVIEW
After fury erupted at the charges, new Labour council leader Bella Sankey announced a major review of all planned changes to parking fees.
Sankey said: “This is with a view to taking a long term, strategic approach to parking pricing in the city taking into account income projections for the year ahead.
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“While we need to work carefully to balance the council’s budget, we must also recognise people’s concerns about price rises during this cost of living crisis.
“In particular we want to ensure patients, carers and staff have affordable access to our hospitals and other important services within the city.”
