Maldon District Council (MDC) is considering charging for the car parks in Burnham-on-Crouch. Some people are annoyed and have started a petition against charging, including friends and people I know. The Town Council has posted a notice promoting the petition on its official noticeboards and some councillors have announced their support for the petition. I take a different position.
MDC’s Strategy and Resources Committee meet this week and fees and charges for car parks are on the Agenda. I have written to them in favour of parking costs being paid by those who use parking
Here’s the text of my email:
Dear Councillors,
I am writing to support the cost of car parking being borne by the users of car parks rather than by all council-tax payers and to encourage your bold leadership in this area.
Subsidised provision or parking should be limited to the infirm (Blue Badge holders) and those using health facilities. These principles should hold across the Maldon District.
People with lower incomes do not generally own cars, but they currently contribute to the cost of parking provision. People who have adopted healthier lifestyles by walking, cycling, and using public transport are unacceptably subsidising those who insist on having a ‘free’ car park.
In Burnham-on-Crouch, the Foundry Lane car park serves the Burnham Surgery and there is a good case for limiting the use of this car park to patients and subsidising it so it’s free at the point of use.
Subsidising Blue Badge holders at other car parks in Burnham-on-Crouch seems appropriate and a fair use of council tax.
I do NOT see a case for subsidising motorists who wish to use the Millfield and Riverside car parks.
Maldon District Council declared a Climate Emergency in February 2021 and in the ‘Our Home Our Future – Climate Action Strategy‘ [pdf] Cllr Stamp noted that ‘[a]s a Local Authority, we have a vital role to play in achieving national net zero targets.’
In the Strategy and the Maldon District Council Climate Action Plan [pdf], Pledge 1 is to ‘Kick the Car Habit’ with an expressed aim of reducing traffic and shifting to more sustainable modes of transport. The Strategy document states that by 2030, Maldon District Council will:
- Plan positively for a reduction [in] car use in the District’s Local Development Plan
- Update the Council’s Parking Strategy
- Encourage walking and cycling in place of car use
- Reduce the dependency of cars from the District’s High Streets
This aligns with the UK government and Essex County Council who are also encouraging a modal shift from the car to more sustainable forms of travel in order to achieve net zero. Erwin Deppe, Head of Major Projects at Essex Highways has stated that:
‘Leaders need to be thinking about modal shift to facilitate more sustainable travel and reduce the demand on the highway networks. Climate change impacts and Carbon reduction are key priorities to be considered.’
In ‘Net Zero: Making Essex Carbon Neutral‘ [pdf] the Essex Climate Action Commission suggested that we should ‘[r]ingfence income from other initiatives, e.g. parking levies, to improve sustainable, low carbon bus travel.’
Subsidising motorists is a disincentive to modal shift and therefore does not align with national and local goals.
Now is the time for Maldon District Council to deliver on the words published in its Climate Action Strategy.
All the best,
James Taylor
PS. I am aware that there is currently a petition against motorists paying for the costs of their parking provision with the suggestion that this would affect local businesses. Councillors may be interested to read the recent Living Streets report ‘The Pedestrian Pound’ (2024) which found a wealth of evidence showing that those who walk or wheel to shops spend more money than those using private motor vehicles.
Dengie Bioregion 