Parking: Town Centres Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Jas Athwal
Main Page: Jas Athwal (Labour - Ilford South)Department Debates - View all Jas Athwal's debates with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Parking: Town Centres
Jas Athwal Excerpts(1 day, 12 hours ago)
Westminster HallRead Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Westminster Hall is an alternative Chamber for MPs to hold debates, named after the adjoining Westminster Hall.
Each debate is chaired by an MP from the Panel of Chairs, rather than the Speaker or Deputy Speaker. A Government Minister will give the final speech, and no votes may be called on the debate topic.
This information is provided by Parallel Parliament and does not comprise part of the offical record
Sonia Kumar
Yes, I do, and a long-standing trader in my constituency, Christine Bosworth, also agrees. She has been operating for the last 13 years in a craft shop and she shared with me some really poignant points that I would like to share. Christine said that there has been a really big drop in footfall in the constituency and in the town centre, and that it is an “eye-opener” that there now is a lack of accessibility to the town centre. The nearest car park is unusable and too expensive, while cheaper options are too far away for elderly and disabled people to use. Traders tied into long leases face mounting pressures to ensure that people can access the town centre.
Changes have been made without proper consultation and risk further eroding the vibrancy of our historic town centre. Bruno Coppola, manager of the Churchill shopping centre in Dudley, has shared concerns with me about the impact that the charges have on local businesses. Many traders have faced challenges for many years, including with covid-19.
Jas Athwal (Ilford South) (Lab)
In the borough of Redbridge, where I was the leader of the council for the last 10 years, we brought in one-hour free parking, which increased footfall and the churn of cars, and brought local people back to local shops. Of course, it also created more business rates, because our local shopping centres are absolutely thriving. Does my hon. Friend agree that there is more than one way to make money, and that sometimes we have to be a little bit more imaginative and give local people what they want? Give them free parking and they will spend their money locally.
Sonia Kumar
An hour’s free parking is one of the proposals that I have put forward to the leader of my local council. If somebody wants to grab a coffee in the town centre, they do not want to pay a parking charge, then get their coffee and leave. That is only driving business out.
As I was saying, Bruno and a number of traders around the town centre told me that it is not just Dudley town centre that is being affected; the same thing is happening in many other town centres across the country. The additional problem with my town centre is disruption from the ongoing construction work around the main transport area, which is affecting the bus service and the tram line, so more people are being forced to use their cars.