‘It’s the opposite of what we need!’ cry locals living in a ‘ghost town’ after new parking fees drive tourists away
A LOCAL business owner has slammed new parking fees for driving tourists away.
Paul Ellis, who runs Lost Property Coffee Shop and Kitchen in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, fears he may be forced to relocate his business if visitor numbers continue to drop.
Located inside the town centre on Byram Street, Mr Ellis said the restaurant has endured its worst weeks of the year since the parking charges increased.
Drivers used to pay £2 for 90 minutes, or the maximum stay, but are now being charged £3.30 for 90 minutes.
To make matters worse, a number of ticket machines are also out of order, requiring people to use the parking app.
For older customers, however, this proves tricky and many have been unable to use this method.
According to Paul, customers are now asking how long their food will be because they don’t want to pay longer than 45 minutes for the parking.
“We’ve had various customers complaining that it’s expensive,” he told YorkshireLive.
“We’ve just noticed a really quite drastic drop in trade as well over the last couple of weeks.”
The business owner also believes the reason the current parking machines are out of action is because they’re “putting new one’s in”.
But the effect it’s had on customer numbers has left him increasingly concerned about where the future of his business lies – especially with the costs of operating a business so high at the moment.
He said: “I think it’s just making it harder, it’s just bringing less and less people to town, which is the opposite of what we need.
“Small businesses, if we haven’t got the people coming in then we’re all not going to be there are we?”
In an attempt to save his business, Paul is now considering offering to cover at least part of people’s parking charges to help attract more customers.
He even concedes that he’d have to think of relocating his business away from the town centre if things don’t pick up.
For now, Paul is hoping business will recover and he will be able to stay, but with large overheads he is concerned for the future.
The Sun has contacted Kirklees Council for comment.
A spokesperson for the council told YorkshireLive that the new charges are consistent with other parking charges levied across the region, with both long and short-stay parking preserved.
There is also a major push for visitors to the town centre to use public transport.
“The increase has only been in effect for just over a week, including a Bank Holiday, and so we will continue to monitor the impact,” the spokesperson said.
Locals have also slammed the decision to increase parking prices in Huddersfield town centre.
One person said: “I’ve got to feel for them. There’s no incentive from our council to attract business owners to the town centre.
“Antiquated thinking and useless ticket machines do nothing to attract customers.”
A second added: “They are supposed to have a consultation about any price increases and should explain the reason.”
A third commented: “Greed by the councils they don’t care about business.”
What are your rights if you get a parking fine?
GETTING a parking ticket can be incredibly frustrating but many people aren't aware of their rights once they've been charged.
While everyone has to pay the fine, it doesn’t always have to be straight away.
All parking fines must be paid within a certain time period and if you don’t, you face a further fine – or worse.
But how you pay a parking ticket or penalty charge notice depends on what type it is and who issued it.
You usually have 28 days to pay, however, and in some cases, the fine is reduced if you pay within 14 days.
If you do not pay a PCN within 28 days, you’ll get a ‘charge certificate’ and you’ll have 14 days to pay the original fine plus 50% more.
If you feel you have been hard one by, however, you can usually appeal your parking fine on the next working day.
Instructions will be issued on the back of the ticket, telling you what steps to take to begin the process of appeal.
You have 28 days to make a formal challenge (called a ‘representation’) after you get a notice to owner.
You must explain your reasons for challenging the PCN in as much detail as possible and provide copies of any evidence or documents to support your challenge.