Meeting documents

CABINET MEETING 9 JANUARY 2008: SUBJECT - REVIEW OF PARKING PERMITS REF: E1715. STATEMENT BY MRS J F BRIGGS, RADNOR GUEST HOUSE, PULTENEY TERRACE, BATH

My name is Jane Briggs. I am the owner of the Radnor Guest House, Pulteney Terrace, Widcombe. I represent the Pulteney Gardens Guest House Association and Other Associates.

We are here because of the unanimous strength of feeling among smaller guest house owners. The object of that feeling is the increase proposed by the Council in the cost of parking permits which guest house owners have to purchase to enable their guests to park.

The Council propose to increase the annual cost of each permit from £50 to £350. This represents a massive and unprecedented rise at a single stroke of 700% on the current cost - I repeat 700%.

This proposed increase would be laughable, if it were not for the serious economic impact that it will have on smaller guest houses. It is both grossly unfair and unrealistic to expect a group of small businesses, who have little or no option but to pay, and are thus a `soft' target, to shoulder such a heavy financial burden.

Smaller guest houses affected operate at the "budget" end of the visitor market. The extra financial burden of a 700% increase in the cost of permits will be impossible to absorb. It will seriously affect their financial viability. For some, it will be an extra cost too many.

We understand that amended proposals have now been suggested by the Council. Under these proposals the current cost of £50 per permit would be increased to £75 for the first permit, and then on an upward sliding scale to£225 for a fifth permit. For a guest house buying 5 permits the total cost would be £700, an overall increase in cost of nearly 200%.

We find the amended proposals no more acceptable than the original. Even these increases are far in excess of what is reasonable to cover the admin costs of running the permit system. This, after all, is what was agreed when it was introduced.

The proposed increases in permit costs show, at best, breath-taking short sightedness. They will penalise most severely smaller guest houses like ours, who provide a quality personalised service at a reasonable cost, and who contribute hugely to the tourism and leisure sector. This is the main source of Bath's economic well-being, and at the end of the day an important contributor to Council revenue.