These were the final pleas made before council passed ‘counterproductive’ town centre parking increases

Following on from the coverage of Wednesday (February 22) evening’s council budget meeting, here is an in depth look at what the speakers had to say before the final votes were cast.

The final budget 2023-24 was passed by 51 votes to 16, with one who voted to abstain, meaning the town centre car parking increases will be implemented from April – and you can read more about what that means moving forward here.

The evening began with budget-related petitions being put forward, which included Julie Teckman, owner of Vintage Guru in St Giles’ Street, presenting the parking petition that amassed more than 1,300 signatures.

Mark Mullen, operations manager for Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID), also took the opportunity to state his case for the final time – after speaking at the cabinet meeting last Monday (February 13).

When the floor opened for the final time for councillors to share their views on the budget proposals before it was passed, Councillor James Hill and Councillor Enam Haque insisted town centre parking needed to be addressed – but to no avail.

Here’s what they had to say…

Julie Teckman, owner of Vintage Guru in St Giles’ Street:

“I’m the owner of Vintage Guru and Emporium, which is home to more than 19 independent businesses wanting to trade on the high street. I’m here today to speak on behalf of the 770 businesses that operate in Northampton town centre and pay levy to the BID.

“As a Northamptonian, born and bred, I chose to set up my business four and a half years ago on beautiful St Giles’ Street because I wanted to be part of reviving the town centre. Yet, in this time, it’s been noticeable that changes made to parking charges – both on the street and in car parks – have affected not just local people’s attitudes to this town but footfall itself.

“The price increase may only be 10 pence an hour, although that actually represents a 10 percent increase, the impact on the public means less people will come to town as a result and will choose to go to places where parking is free.

“And yes I do know this will be the result of the increases because everyday I have customers tell me so. Indeed footfall to my own shop has fallen simply as a result of the negative publicity surrounding the proposed increases.

“We’re worried that these plans are counterproductive. The last increases in 2018 saw a drop in footfall of 50,000 people per week, representing a 20 percent decrease. If the same happens this time – and it seems likely that it will be based on public reactions and the huge disruptions to the town centre over the next few years – the council is looking at not the 10 percent increase in revenue through parking, but being around 12 percent worse off.

“It’s easy to argue that I, and other business owners, are being naive and focusing on the negatives of your plans, but a petition set up by Wes Suter and Chronicle & Echo attracted more than 1,300 signatures in just over a week – with comments making it clear just how angry people are. Especially when they see people in other towns in the county paying nothing for their car parking.

“We’re not asking for parking to be free, but we want it to be competitive with other retail destinations. I don’t begin to understand the complexities of the corporate plan and intended budget, but I notice that a fourth of the council’s six priorities is to create thriving towns and villages – yet we can’t see any short-term vision for Northampton town centre.

“These parking increases won’t only affect visitors to the town, they will have massive impacts on staff working too, who currently pay around £8 per day simply to come to work in low-paid jobs. An additional £4 a week may not seem much to some of you, but parking costs averaging £50 a week is a huge amount to someone earning around £350 a week.

“We can’t pay them more because, guess what, our income drops when people stop visiting the town.

“If you come into the town on a Sunday, you will see cafes busy, shops buzzing, and a real sense of community – why? Because parking is free. If you introduce a fee, even a small one, people will go elsewhere. How do we know this? Because they tell us.

“You aim to protect and meet the demands of critical services by increasing charges for discretionary services – those are the ones people can choose not to use. But when they choose not to use the town centre and pay to park, they also choose not to shop with us, eat in our restaurants and drink in our bars.

“Your decision means we pay, ultimately. We all understand the needs of balanced books and providing care for the vulnerable, but those of us who have chosen to live and work in the town centre are begging you to consider how parking increases will impact footfall.

“10 pence an hour may not be much to you, but it’s our livelihood. Please don’t let us down.”

Mark Mullen, operations manager of Northampton Town Centre Business Improvement District (BID):

“We represent 770 businesses within the town centre and I spoke to the cabinet meeting last Monday (February 13) about a graph of fact based on the parking increases in 2018 – and the comparatively negative effect it had on trends that existed in the previous year.

“To emphasise the point Julie made, that is the only information based on fact and it would be really nice to be able to understand and analyse a financial proposal that is actually based on fact.

“Going back to the figures Julie quoted, we did unfortunately see a reduction of 50,000 visitors per week in 2018 and my gut feeling is there is the reality and potential for that to be exactly the same if the increases are applied at this point in time.

“Looking at how that 50,000 visitors per week equates to where the current footfall is, it equates to 20 percent. There is a real challenge and concern that although the increases would generate a 10 percent increase in revenue, the council could be in a position to face a deficit of 12 percent less based on what they receive currently.

“This is a final plea for everybody making the decision tonight. From my personal feeling and the feeling of the BID, this isn’t the right decision and this is your chance to make a final reconsideration before you cast your votes.”

Councillor James Hill, assistant cabinet member for planning and Conservative representative for Billing and Rectory Farm:

“I want to acknowledge that the cabinet has listened regarding some of the issues that came up in the budget, especially around car parking. As Councillor Rumens mentioned, it is a very relatively small part of the budget but it’s things which people see and make a difference.

“I do think going forward – I know it’s a manifesto pledge and I appreciate that as part of the group – but I think we need to look at car park harmonisation. The reality is we are not in the same place we were when West Northants was formed and I don’t think it’s fair that our more affluent areas and towns get subsidy when Northampton doesn’t.

“I really hope that can be looked at for next time.”

Councillor Enam Haque, Labour Party representative for Castle:

“I am one of the councillors for the town centre and I’m concerned about how the residents, traders, retailers and visitors to the town are going to be impacted by all the redevelopment works over such a long time scale.

“It is going to be 18 months of disruption, probably a lot longer. There are always delays and subsequent consequences with building works. What is WNC doing to ensure footfall to the town centre?

“Where are the big ideas? I don’t see any. The redevelopment is going to cause chaos – Market Square, Abington Street, Fish Street, Marks & Spencers, Greyfriars.

“What are we offering to retailers for putting up with the chaos? What are we offering to the public that will encourage them to come in, in spite of the chaos?

“Increased car parking charges will discourage them from coming in. Whose big idea was that? I have seen nothing in this budget that demonstrates how difficult life is going to be for the market traders, retailers and the town centre.

“Explain to me why increased parking charges are being applied to Northampton when South Northants and Daventry have free parking. Surely if someone deserves free parking at this time, it is people in Northampton – the retailers, the staff, the visitors. I cannot vote for this budget.”