Councillor defends controversial parking hikes by comparing rising cost of an egg mayonnaise sandwich

A petition set up by the BID gathered more than 1,000 signatures – meaning it had to be debated by the full council at its meeting on Thursday.

During the discussion, Shrewsbury market trader and BID board member, Darren Tomkins, warned the proposals would be 'disastrous' for some of the town's businesses – and could cost them as much as £7m a year.

Conservative Councillor Dan Morris, the authority's cabinet member responsible for the hikes, defended the decision, saying the council was not immune to inflationary costs, giving the example of the rising cost of an egg mayonnaise sandwich and a cup of coffee.

He did however reveal that the council is considering making some changes to the planned charges, and would write to the BID with an 'official' response to the petition.

Addressing the chamber at Shirehall in Shrewsbury, Mr Tomkins, who was given five minutes to present his case, said: "Five minutes to sum up the concerns and fears of businesses, workers and residents from across the country and town. I will give it a go..."

He continued: "As Shropshire's county town Shrewsbury serves as a vibrant economic service centre while providing employment to thousands of residents across the county.

"Shropshire Council's proposals to increase charges between 50 to 67 per cent in the town's most affordable care parks has raised serious concerns about the potential lasting economic impact on Shrewsbury's town centre.

"Over 750 Shrewsbury town centre businesses rely on Shropshire Council as a partner to provide decent and affordable access to their staff and customers, making Shropshire Council an intrinsic part of every business's business plan.

"It would be unthinkable for any other business to increase prices for their staff and most customers from £4.80 a day to £8 a day. Would Shropshire Council consider imposing such a charge on their own staff working at Shirehall?"

Mr Tomkins said the council itself had admitted public transport is not good enough to provide a viable alternative to car parking in Shrewsbury

He added that he could not find similar proposals for such price hikes anywhere across the country, warning that some businesses are seriously considering their future in the town as a result of the plans.

He called on the council to limit price hikes in line with inflation, to implement co-ordinated plans for public transport in the town, and consult on the plans with the business community.

Responding, Councillor Morris said: "I would like to thank the petitioners for bringing their petition to council for which the council will write to them setting out the council's views officially.

"When these charges were first proposed we knew they would not be universally popular, but the council asked people to understand the reasons behind the increases."

The cabinet member said those reasons were to 'encourage people to park outside the loop of the River Severn', 'to encourage alternative modes of transport into the town', 'to enable the council to better maintain car parks and bring them up to standard', and to 'strengthen the Shropshire Council car parking team to enable them to look at issues such as on street parking in residential areas'.

He continued: "The council is not immune to the same inflationary pressures as town-centre businesses have.

"For example an egg mayonnaise sandwich in a well known national food chain, in 2020 was £1.89. Today it is £2.99, that is a 60 per cent increase. A coffee in another well known national establishment that is in Shrewsbury, in August 2021 was £3.05. today it is £4.50. that is a 48 per cent increase in cost.

"The council has the same inflationary pressures as businesses do. If the council had followed the RPI since 2018, parking charges would have increased by 48 per cent on average.

"The proposal as it was put, puts them on average at 40 per cent so Shropshire Council is still below the average had we followed the RPI changes.

"Shrewsbury BID, who brought the petition, I have no idea what they charge businesses as members of that but I am sure the costs of that organisation have increased. Every organisation has faced inflationary pressures and the council is not immune."

He added: "All that said, and as a result of the concerns raised by the BID and some of the proposals being referred back to cabinet by the scrutiny committee, the council have carefully been considering the original proposals. Some changes are being looked at and will be presented to cabinet for consideration at its April meeting."

Liberal Democrat Councillor for Bowbrook in Shrewsbury, Alex Wagner, responded by saying he was annoyed at the 'random' nature of the price increases proposed.

He added: "The price of it for town centre workers, who are generally lower paid, is appalling."

Liberal Democrat leader, Councillor Roger Evans said that it was "obvious" the council was using the hikes as part of a way to fill its £62m budget shortfall.

He added: "That is not what parking charges are for."

Labour group leader, Councillor Julia Buckley, said: "Although the report on parking was a very unpleasant surprise it was certainly not random – it clearly aimed to fill a £2m black hole in the budget."

Members were asked to vote on whether the council would send a letter to the BID, as proposed by Councillor Morris.

A total of 38 members voted for the letter to be sent, but 22 voted against, and two abstained.

Council Chairman, Councillor Hunt appeared to make light of the vote and was taken to task by Shrewsbury Councillor Alan Mosley.

He said: "I was not against sending a letter as long as that letter said 'yes we agree to the bid proposal'."

He added that he voted against because the letter was not saying what he wanted it to.