Controversial parking charges will be introduced to esplanades in Cowes and Gurnard after the Isle of Wight Council approved changes.
Income generation schemes, approved as part of the budget last year, will now be implemented in areas across the Island: extending charges on all esplanades to all year round, a £2 fee at Somerton Park and Ride to park all day and the introduction of charges between Egypt Esplanade, Cowes, and Princes Esplanade, Gurnard.
Speaking at the meeting of the Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet, Councillor Ian Ward, the cabinet member for infrastructure and transport, said the revisions proposed in the parking order were to achieve fairness and consistency. He said:
“Up until now any increase in parking charges was applied to existing car parks and on street locations, that means the residents that use those sites, were solely subjected to the rise in charges, while residents elsewhere would pay nothing at all — that cannot be regarded as fair.
“Surely it is better for everyone to pay a little more, than for some people to pay a lot more, again while others pay nothing.
“Of course nobody likes to pay more but I am sure all members understand the council’s finances are under pressure and the council must look for savings or income generation where it can.”
Cllr Ward said he had taken into account the 467 objections made – 449 alone for the Gurnard changes – but most of the points could be applied to other communities on the Island who already have to pay to park to use playgrounds, walk along the seafront or go to a sailing club.
The ward representative for Gurnard, Cllr Paul Fuller, had been fighting the introduction of charges, with the support of residents who started a petition to stop the changes.
Cllr Wayne Whittle, the cabinet member for regeneration and business development, however, said it was lucky the esplanades in Gurnard and Cowes had escaped charges for as long as they had but needed to be introduced to make things fair. He said:
“I don’t think anyone should pay to park but we don’t live in that sort of world but we all have things to pay for like the Floating Bridge.”
Cllr Richard Hollis, chair of scrutiny, asked cabinet members to consider altering the proposals slightly, while still introducing the charges in Cowes and Gurnard, stopping them before it reached the edge of the village green, allowing people to park freely when accessing local businesses and the sailing club.
Council leader, Cllr Dave Stewart, said they couldconsider that going forward but would still vote on the entire parking order going forward.
Cabinet members unanimously voted in favour of implementing the parking order, and introducing the new charges.
It is estimated annually the charges will bring in an additional £157,900 — £33,900 from Somerton Park and Ride, £58,000 from all-year esplanade charges and £66,000 from Gurnard and Cowes esplanade.
They should be lifting the parking charges and restrictions at the moment as they did in the summer, we’re supposed to be staying indoors not going out feeding a meter or playing musical cars again.
There must be another pay rise on the cards for the councillors coming soon and we will foot the bill boycott all council car parks most of the private ones are cheaper per hour anyway
Just goes to show yet again, this council has its own agenda and does not seem to care about the views of the people that voted them in.
I do so hope everyone remembers this at election time.
This council continues to ignore the people it is supposed to represent no matter the objections they just do want they want. The way both local and national government treat car owners as a cash cow is scandalous!
IWC doing their bit to kill local economies by keeping people away for the long term. Well done you short sighted tw*ts.
PARKING PERMITS WILL BE NEXT ALONG ROADS AND STREETS.
TOO BE HONEST SOME HOUSEHOLDS HAVE MANY CARS AND COMPANY VEHICLES
PARKED ALONG ROADS, SOME HOUSEHOLDS ONLY HAVE 1 VEHICLE.
RATHER THAN INCREASING COUNCIL TAXES, PARKING PERMITS / METERS WILL BE MUCH FAIRER FOR
EVERYONE!
Yes I agree with that it’s much fairer
A parking permit will cost you, it will not, however, guarantee you a parking space in your road or any road.
To Councillor Ward if you and your cronies hadn’t wasted millions on a pile of rubbish FB6 and then the same again on repairs then you wouldn’t have to pay on any sea front or esplanade
A brave move with elections coming up in a few months.
If all the NHS workers who have not been given pay rises for all their hard work
Don’t Vote for them, plus if all the persons who lost their jobs, and if all persons who sadly lost loved ones
Due to the Virus DON’T VOTE TORY hopefully they should be booted out!
Labour would give pay rises to the NHS
If you think that then you’re away with the fairies. Labour were the cause of the NHS going to pot look at what Blair and Brown did to the hospitals
I agree but sadly on the island the torys could put mr blobby as there candidate and they will still get in.
Vote these vile, greedy, destructive low lives OUT.
Rest assured, my friends, I shall continue my 100% boycott of all council car parks. I am NOT paying you one penny more than I absolutely have to.
How silly of me.. I thought free parking at Park and ride was to help stop vehicles parking in the towns… so please enlighten me, what is the use of park and ride now ?? If working in Ryde can drive to Ryde and park on seafront! Or anywhere really now.. certainly not saving the driver anything but mileage on vehicle.
Another farce scheme to get more vehicles on the road !!
Disgusting we will now have to pay all year on esplanade and council tax rise I suppose all council big wigs need a pay rise never mind at what cost we the general public have to keep finding extra to pay these charges we don’t get pay rises and a lot of jobs will be lost in this pandemic
Don’t forget we must top up there pension pot as well ,can’t have the brains of the iow council struggling in retirement can we
To be honest no matter who gets voted in they are all tarred and feathered with the same brush .
Promise the world and line their own pockets and nest 1st .
Perfectly said
Remember this and all the other things they’ve done to the island when it comes to elections. Anything is better than a tory run council.
Bet the Leader of the council and his bunch of clowns all get FREE PARKING PERMITS!
Would be a shame if someone were to vandalize the machines and make it cost more for the council to keep replacing them than they make from them.
That would be a low life action. Keep the manner and just vote them out.
It doesnt cost the council anything to replace them.
It costs council tax payers a lot.
Lowlife vandals should have to pay for the damage they cause, but they are too braindead to have a job and make any money.
Stand by for clogged up roads anywhere near an esplanade.
Invest in an Electric (disability) buggy. No parking charges, reasonable range, reasonable insurance, no road tax
Just one of the councils’ many pension top-up schemes.
At least dick turpin wore a mask
Park on the floating bridge it doesn’t move and there’s no meters on it ! YET
PAY TO PARK ON ALL ESPLANADES ALL YEAR ROUND – Phase 1 complete. ✔
Phase 2 = PAY TO PARK ON ALL PUBLIC ROADS ALL YEAR ROUND
you will note how it is still free to park outside the entrance to Ryde pier, where some of whittles business interests are
Money grabbing bastards!!
Just suppose what would happen if some shops started charging you to go in, result – no customers – closed down. Unfortunately we have only the one Council and we can’t boycott it – or can we?
Huge tax increase, no services. Social services should reduce costs, rather than throw money on the professional abusers of our money.
Cllr Wayne Whittle, the cabinet member for regeneration and business development, however, said it was lucky the esplanades in Gurnard and Cowes had escaped charges for as long as they had but needed to be introduced to make things fair.
No, Whittle…. you could have cancelled all the other car park charges to bring them into line with the ones that didn’t charge to make things fair
you must think people are stupid
This is all very worrying! Lets think about it! The council upped the business rates of business owners so much its no not a viable option to run a business!so now the week option is to place parking meters everywhere so the poor souls who live on the Island cant go and sit by the sea in their car just to get out of the house like my grandparents used to do! unless they pay parking fees and its not free for the first hour BAM its charged straight away! also the biggest business you have on the Island is tourism yet with no shops and little businesses being able to survive hence Sandown casing point it all crumbles! and it really isnt worth coming to a run down seaside resort! there are plenty in the UK already ! IE Jaywick sands! Margate,Blackpool, Clacton, Great Yarmouth and very soon the Isle of WIght its just so sad!
I’m just glad I don’t own a car, not owning a car means not having to pay parking charges, therefore not lining the pockets of this greedy council….. Living without a car saves a fortune! 🙂