On the issue of implementing car parking charges at Midsomer Norton and Radstock, I fail to see how this will make any significant inroads into fixing the Council’s deficit. In fact, it could have quite the opposite effect if people stop visiting these towns altogether, as some of my residents have suggested they will.

A loss in footfall will result in the loss of businesses, which in turn will result in the loss in business rates, which would surely have more of an impact on the Council’s finances than the return gained from any parking fees at these small car parks.

As this issue was raised and defeated last year, it seems bizarre that it has simply been returned to the agenda without any further conversation. Could the past year not have been used to look at the issue in detail and come up with a plan that would better suit both businesses and visitors to these towns?

I am all too aware of the lack of services available to my rural residents and the need for them to travel some distance to meet basic needs, for education and employment, as well as to meet friends and for leisure. These charges would simply add insult to injury for these residents who now have limited or no access to public transport and are likely to be paying the highest of parking fees in both the city and Keynsham already.

While I appreciate the need to find solutions to any financial black hole, and I do understand that this is not a simple job, to include parking charges into the budget at this point feels like a fait accompli, a panicked knee-jerk reaction to fix a budget that is suffering from years of underinvestment from central government.

Rushing in measures at the 11th hour is not the way to consider these charges and they should not be included in this year’s budget for this reason alone. A more reasoned and robust argument beyond financial desperation needs to be made for implementing car parking charges in the Somer Valley and I would urge the Council to look at this strategically over the coming year to avoid closing businesses and disadvantaging residents in rural areas further.