Fresh bid to halt North Berwick parking charges rejected despite trading loss claims

Traders in North Berwick town centre say they are losing thousands of pounds a week as locals stay away because of confusion over parking charges, it has been claimed.

Conservative councillors told a meeting of East Lothian Council they visited the town on Saturday going shop to shop to speak to owners and managers about the impact of the scheme, introduced at the start of the month.

And shop owners and hospitality businesses said they had seen takings fall by between 20 per cent to 60 per cent compared to the same time in previous years with one saying they were down £1,000 a day.

However a call on the council to pause the charges while a review of its impact on businesses was carried out was rejected with Labour administration members insisting the benefits of the scheme were already being seen and it simply needed time to “bed in”.

Councillor Jeremy Findlay said he and fellow Conservative councillors Donna Collins and George McGuire had visited every town centre trader in North Berwick High Street to find out how the parking charges are affecting them.

He said: “One trader who relies solely on local trade and has a family business that has been there for decades told us they had tracked sales data for years and on a five year average for this time of year they are down around £1,000 a day.

“Another said the local trade has almost disappeared as people do not understand the parking charges. It is not the charges they are necessarily against, it is the fear of getting a fine that is keeping them away.

“Almost every shop and hospitality venue in the centre of town told us that takings were down between 20 and 60 per cent, compared to the same period over the last few years. Three shops told us they were close to closing and others were cancelling shifts for workers.”

He added: “One of the most telling remarks I have heard is that the vibe and the buzz has gone out of the High Street. I spoke to one trader who said the weekend had been disastrous with the drop in footfall.”

Councillor Findlay called on elected members to back his motion for a stop to the parking charges to allow a review of their impact which was seconded by Councillor Collins who described it as a ‘cry for help from shopkeepers’.

She said: “The shopping habits of locals has changed. They are doing a quick snatch shop and not doing any browsing and the browsing shops are taking the hit.”

Councillor Collins said confusion caused by some of the parking signage and ‘gaps in communication’ left people scared of being fined.

She said: “It is not the cost of parking, it is the fear of the fine. That £50 fine is the cost of electricity in the home, it is a week’s fuel for part time workers.”

Her comments come as the council prepares to start issuing penalty notices in the town after four weeks of warnings being issued to those who flout the rules.

The council’s SNP group put forward an alternative motion dismissing the call to pause the North Berwick scheme and instead calling for a review in August saying it needed longer to measure the impact.

Councillor Lee-Anne Menzies told the meeting: “The scheme has been in place for just one month, one month when it was wetter and cooler than normal. That is just one of the reasons why evidence matters.

“At this stage there is no credible body of evidence to support sweeping claims about its impact.”

However council leader Norman Hampshire put forward the Labour group’s own amendment which scrapped both motions and instead committed council officers to support local businesses and residents while bringing a report to the council’s full meeting in August updating members on issues.

Councillor Hampshire said the introduction of the charges was one of the most important policies introduced in many years and said the council should recognise the positive outcomes already seen.

He said: “There is evidence of increased turnover within the limited parking spaces available in the town centre. This is important because North Berwick is one of East Lothian’s key economic centres and a major visitor destination.

“For many years concerns were expressed that long term parking reduced space for visitors and customers, if visitors are able to find parking more easily they are more likely to visit the town.”

Mr Hampshire said it was inevitable there would be a ‘bedding in’ period for the new scheme and it was not unusual to have operational issues at the start.

Councillors voted to approve the Labour group amendment with 12 votes while the SNP group amendment received four votes and the original motion by Councillor Findlay received four votes.