Earlier this week I went into B&NES Council offices at the Hollies in Midsomer Norton to enquire about consultation on the Budget. This is vitally important because of the plan to impose parking charges on Council owned car parks in Midsomer Norton and Radstock. Apparently this comes about because of agitation by Keynsham LibDems for the Somer Valley to be treated the same as Keynsham. My residents would take a dim view of this argument because our circumstances are not at all the same, and we tell Bath residents that they do not have to pay the Parish Precept on top of the Council Tax.

What we do know from a previous experiment about ten years ago in Radstock/Westfield, is that the footfall at the Co-op decreased by a third, and those customers never came back. So what is the point of a charge? For a start it will raise significantly less than anticipated, but meanwhile many small shops and businesses, hanging on now by a thread, will go under.

Please would all your readers who care about local amenities and local shops write to the Leader of the Council Kevin Guy, and protest strongly at this suicidal treatment. First they take away our buses, now our parking. If the revenue went to restoring the 82 bus, then possibly ok, but it is the lack of joined up thinking in the administration which frightens me.