A DECISION to start charging drivers to use borough car parks on Sundays has been called an “insult” to churchgoers in Wokingham.
On Thursday, March 31, the borough council’s executive committee agreed to a controversial plan to introduce fees in car parks for evening, weekends and bank holidays – although Woodley’s car parks will eschew the fees in exchange for a 10p per hour rise in daytime rates.
Under the plans, car parking charges will remain as normal from 8am to 6pm, at other times it will be a flat rate of £1, with nightly season tickets costing £292 being made available.
The decision goes against a consultation that saw the vast majority object to the plans, with some respondents warning that Wokingham will become a ghost town if the plan goes ahead.
It means that people who attend services on Sundays will now have to pay to pray, something that churches criticised during the consultation period.
The decision, made as the council broke up for the forthcoming local elections, has since been called in by the Liberal Democrats. This means that they have asked the council’s Overview and Scrutiny committee to hold an inquiry into the decision.
The party said that they had “significant concerns” over the decision making process and that the new charges cannot be introduced until after the review has taken place.
Councillor Lindsay Ferris, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, said: “We haven’t seen any detailed evidence to support the claim that it can raise £150,000 a year. And there is no analysis of the different parking needs in different parts of the Borough or the impact that charging will have on the different local areas. It is just not good enough.”
Local church leaders have also expressed their concerns over the charges and want to meet with the council to explore exemptions.
The Revd Nick Hudson, minister of Wokingham Baptist Church, said: “This change will affect our congregation because we rely on signposting our people to the Council car parks on a Sunday when they come to worship. I know it affects other churches too.
“It would be good to explore with the Council whether there could be some form of dispensation for people attending places of worship on a Sunday, and I wonder if the Council might consider that.”
The Revd Catherine Bowstead from Wokingham Methodist Church, which backs on to Rose Street car park, said that the decision was “disappointing”.
She said: “Our buildings are heavily used each day of the week by a wide variety of community groups, and people have appreciated the free parking available in the Borough Council car parks in the evenings and on Sundays.
“A £1 parking charge is a small price to pay for such convenient parking but it’s disappointing that the Council have introduced these charges when so many local people opposed them.”
In the consultation documents, All Saints Church in Wiltshire Road also criticised the plans, saying: “Many of the people who come to church are in considerable need – frequently emotional. The fuss about parking charges will be upsetting and often financial. The charge will discourage them from seeking help from the church at a time when they most need it.”
And a member of Kings Church said: “Churches provide thousands of hours of free hours community service every year. Charging worshippers to park on a Sunday would be the ultimate insult.”
Wokingham Borough Council argued that the fee is for the car park, not why people have chosen to park there.
Matt Davey, head of highways and transport for Wokingham Borough Council, said: “These are charges for using the car park, not for the many reasons why people park in them on Sundays and in evenings. Because of budget cuts – we’ve lost 50% in our main grant and remain the lowest funded local authority in the country – our car parks as highways assets must play their part towards paying for road projects across the borough.”
Leader of Wokingham Borough Council, Cllr Keith Baker, told The Wokingham Paper that a compromise could be reached.
“We are one of the wealthiest areas probably in the country. We have an awful lot of wealthy people,” he said. “I would question whether they could afford the price of a third of a cup of coffee. Are they really not going to go to church because of that?”
“I’m sure my lead member [on transport] would be willing to have a meeting to discuss a season ticket that could be purchased, that could potentially be negotiated with the church. That would bring the pound down to a lower number.”
We will have a longer interview on the car park charges with Keith Baker in Friday’s Wokingham Paper
