People power forces U-turn (From Evesham Journal)

People power forces U-turn

11:26am Thursday 26th November 2009

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PARKING charges at Evesham’s new leisure centre will be changed after councillors bowed down to mounting public pressure.

Members of Wychavon District Council’s Executive Board voted in favour of reducing the charge from 70p an hour to 50p for the first two hours and 70p an hour thereafter.

The original proposal to increase the current 10p an hour rate by 600 per cent in January sparked a backlash from gym goers who claimed the added cost would either force them to reduce their usage or quit their membership altogether.

At the time, the council said the new rate was needed to stop shoppers and workers taking up spaces and there had already been a concession with a cut in hours that the charge would apply.

But Wychavon Leisure, the company that runs the district’s leisure centres, said it was concerned about the proposed increase as the new centre had been so well received – seeing 14,000 visits in its first week – and levels of usage had increased substantially.

Councillor Jo Sandalls welcomed the compromise. “A lot of the centre’s regular users felt increasing the car parking was really detrimental to them and when they go to other towns to use their swimming pools, if they pay for car parking its usually refunded,” she said.

Councillor John Grantham said: “Ever since both the leisure centres in Pershore opened the parking charge has been the full price.

“In Droitwich it’s free and in Evesham it will be less. I thought we were even handed.”

The council predicts a loss of about £50,000 under the new charges.

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