PLANS by Wokingham Borough Council to introduce Sunday parking charges have been criticised as “narrow minded” amid fears it could stop a popular yoga class.
Around 180 people attend the weekly one-hour session in Howard Palmer Gardens with many using the neighbouring Cockpit Path car park which is currently free.
From next month, charges for parking overnight and on Sundays will be introduced. They will affect Wokingham Borough Council owned car parks. In the evenings, a £1 fee for the first hour of a stay between 6pm and 10pm, increasing to £2 for any additional time after that. Parking between 10pm and 6am would be free, but users would need to display a ticket issued from a pay and display machine.
In Wokingham town car parks, the daytime increase would be from 80p to £1.30 (up to an hour), from £1.20 to £2.50 (up to two hours), from £2 to £4.50 (up to four hours), from £3 to £6.50 (up to six hours), and from £4 to £9 (over six hours).
And outside of Wokingham town, car park increased would vary.
In Headley Road car park, it will cost 60p for up to 30 minutes, then £1 for an hour, £2 for two hours, £4 for up to four hours, £6 for up to six hours and then £8 for over six hours.
A new overnight residents’ permit will also be introduced.
These new prices are the first increases since 2018. During that time, Wokingham town centre underwent its regeneration project, and the covid lockdowns saw shops closed.
However, yoga teacher, Richard Welch, said there was “no reason whatsoever” for planned charges of up to £5 which he says would have a disastrous effect on numbers attending the free yoga class.
In a strongly worded letter to Cllr Paul Fishwick, the council’s executive member for active travel, transport and highways, he warned: “It is deeply disappointing that the impending draconian Sunday parking charges will now impact this free event, at the benefit of Wokingham Borough Council only.
“I am really concerned that we will lose some of these people, those that might need a free yoga class for their health and wellbeing in these challenging times.
“I welcome you to come along and see for yourself and perhaps we can have a discussion to see if there is anything that we can work out as a concession for Park Yoga.”
Richard said the Sunday sessions attract all ages from parents with toddlers to those in their 80s. It began three years ago with an attendance of just 30, and he believes it will soon reach more than 200.
“Wokingham Borough Council have blanked our appeals for funds to pay our teachers. The Town Council on the other hand has been wonderful and we receive £900 a year to pay teachers.
“One lady told me since she moved to Wokingham she has been working from home and didn’t know anyone but she has made friends at the sessions. We teach various movements and positions but we do more than that. We educate people about their bodies, breathing techniques and how to look after themselves.
“At a time when the cost of living is having such a detrimental effect on people, Park Yoga is a wonderful benefit to mental health and wellbeing.”
The Liberal Democrat-run administration said when announcing the changes in December that due to financial pressures on the council they had to take action.
Cllr Fishwick said: “For reasons beyond our control, our finances are increasingly limited and we have to increase car parking charges to protect our road network.
“As a council, we will always choose to help people, to prioritise those who would otherwise struggle to heat their homes, feed their children and keep a roof over their heads. It’s never easy to make unpopular decisions, but we firmly believe it’s the right one.”
