Fife Conservatives Call For Coherent Charging Policy

Councillors call for action to encourage more people to use our town centres.

Following controversy over the role of parking charges in Tesco’s decision to close its Kirkcaldy store, the Fife Conservatives have called for a coherent approach to Council charges.

Group Leader, Cllr Dave Dempsey said “A couple of years ago, a councillor working group was tasked with looking at charging policy. As a member of that group, I suggested that charges should first and foremost line up with Council policy. What I meant by that is that charges should encourage what we want to see happen and discourage what we don’t want to see.

“Parking charges are a prime example. It’s Council policy to promote town centres. So what do we do? We charge the public to park there.

“My idea was taken no further. Instead, charging policy remains to increase income by inflation plus 1% each year. This forces Council services to bring forward ideas that don’t make sense. Charging for parking at Park & Rides is one that’s under consideration. If Park & Ride schemes are a good thing then we shouldn’t discourage the public from using them. Instead we should be looking for a way to remove the biggest cost in the parking budget which is Non-Domestic Rates levied on car parks.

“When I raise this, I’m told that parking charges in the likes of Dundee and Edinburgh don’t harm trade. That may or may not be so but it looks now as if charges in Kirkcaldy were a factor in Tesco’s decision.

“Perhaps Tesco will be the catalyst for a proper look at why the Council levies charges and on what.