At the moment, the cost of living is forcing many of our residents to tighten their belts and be cautious with their spending, forgoing luxuries, such as eating out and buying new clothes and goods. The National Insurance and National Minimum Wage increases along with out of control Energy costs are hitting people’s pockets hard. Nationally, productivity has flatlined, making it harder for businesses to invest in the UK and grow, and on the ground that means that wage increases are not keeping up with inflation.
This is particularly hitting our retail and hospitality sectors hard across the country and there are honestly no quick wins. On Thursday, our Conservatives Councillors put forward a motion blaming the loss income to our retailers in Wokingham town entirely on the roadworks on Finchampstead Road and they suggested that free parking is introduced. While it initially sounds like a nice idea, I found this rather short sighted, as it is very clear that other areas such as Woodley and Twyford are suffering exactly the same, if not worse problems. This is very clearly a NATIONAL problem affecting retailers everywhere that cannot be solved by simple changes.
As a Council, we have a duty to make sure that our residents money is spent wisely and this means making educated and well informed decisions in a consistent manner for all residents across the Borough. I don’t believe it is fair for residents in Woodley, Earley and Twyford to be subsiding Wokingham in this way, when their retailers are experiencing the same problems. Initial suggestions are showing that there is only a tiny decrease in usage of Wokingham’s car parks and no significant change in footfall in the town. As journeys from the East, West and North are not affected, this is not unexpected, but I would strongly suggest that we conduct detailed research before acting on only gossip or suspicion.
Offering free parking does not encourage people to spend more on online food orders for delivery from our local restaurants, it does nothing for people who arrive in our towns by bus, train or on foot, but it will subside train users who use our car parks for commuting to London or other towns and others who have no intention of spending money in local shops.
The unbudgeted £650k that was suggested that we spend on free parking, came with no indication or plan for where this money should come from. Realistically, it could only come from essential services for children and disabled adults as they are nearly 70% of the Council’s annual expenditure. As a council, I would hope that everyone would agree that we must remain focussed on helping those residents first.
Ultimately, the biggest boost to any local economy is improving transport links, which is exactly what the Finchampstead Road roadworks is doing. While it is of some inconvenience to those who live in the south of the town and those trying to cross the railway, building alternative routes is long overdue. We encourage you to please bear with us while this happens, as things will greatly improve for everyone in the area, once they are complete.
By Cllr Imogen Shepherd Dubey
