Parking charges ‘could hit market town’

Parking charges could be introduced to a North Yorkshire market town after the local council declined to run the car parks.

Fears are mounting that charging people to park in Bentham will have an adverse affect on the town, which recently scooped £10,000 government funding born out of a review of the country’s high streets by retail guru Mary Portas.

As part of a review of its free car parks, Craven Council asked Bentham Town Council to consider operating the four car parks run by the local authority in High Bentham and Low Bentham.

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But the town council has declined the offer leaving Craven Council now considering implementing parking charges or even selling the sites. Retaining the status quo remains another option, and one which local traders appear to back.

The car parks are based at Grasmere Drive, Cleveland Square and Lairgill in High Bentham and Harley Bank in Low Bentham.

Craven Council’s Select Committee will consider the options when it meets on January 9 ahead of councillors’ making a decision at the council’s policy committee later this month.

Coun Thomas Marshall, chairman of Bentham Town Council and Mayor of Bentham, said: “If we introduce car parking charges it will have a negative effect on the shopping. The shops on the main street are struggling because of supermarket home deliveries. I think the car parking charges won’t happen. We have fought it off twice in the last 10 years and been successful. It will cost them (Craven Council) more to administer than what they will enjoy in revenue.

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“We would object to selling car parking areas. We haven’t got sufficient car parking as it is.”

Last year a petition containing in the region of 700 signatures opposing the introduction of 
car parking charges in High Bentham was submitted to Craven Council.

Businessman Mark Page, who runs Dalesbred Butchers in High Bentham, said: “All we can hope for is that Craven Council goes for the status quo and leaves it as it is.

“We are not a ‘honey pot town’, ie: we have no tourist industry at all here, the only people who will be paying these car parking charges are the local residents. I think it would slow down business in the town.

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“To be charging people to come in and do their business in the town - we have a lot of farmers come in to use the cattle auction and the banks – would have a detrimental effect on our trading.”

It is understood that if car parking charges were to be introduced in Bentham they would affect the car parks in Grasmere Drive and Cleveland Square.

Members of Bentham Town Council concluded they could not ask residents to cover the extra costs of running and maintaining the car parks.

In a letter, which will be considered by councillors at this week’s meeting, town clerk Jo Burton wrote: “The council agreed that it could not ask the Bentham residents to cover these extra costs of at least £16,000 per year (or 16 per cent on the precept and some 30 per cent increase in spending excluding loan repayments), and that it should decline to take over the car parks as suggested by Craven District Council.

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“It acknowledges that in this situation it is likely that Craven will seek to implement parking charges on both Grasmere Drive and Cleveland Square car parks and would ask to still be consulted on these issues, as it has local knowledge regarding the usage of these car parks.”

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