Open letter to Moray Councillors and senior officials on pay and display parking charges
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A PLEA to Moray councillors to reverse a decision to bring back car parking charges in Elgin has been issued by business owners.
Moray Council has said that charges will be reintroduced from August 1.
However, Elgin Business Improvement District (BID), which represents local business owners, has penned an open letter to all councillors.
And added to that are a series of statements from business owners themselves, some claiming the move will further exacerbate their struggles at a time when they desperately need customers.
Gill Neill, chief executive of Elgin BID, said: "The world has been through unprecedented times and businesses hit hard, with many being forced to close for months.
"The pressures faced have been huge, staff have been furloughed in an effort to retain jobs, stock has been lost and where people have found a way to operate their customer numbers have been slashed and their income drastically reduced.
"While the burdens faced have been severe, there is no doubt that as we move through the Scottish Government's route map through and out of the crisis pressures are going to increase.
"Businesses have had to transform the way they operate, social distancing has not only reduced the number of customers they can work with at any one time, but it has brought increased costs as businesses have had to introduce PPE measures for the safety of their staff and customers.
"The additional costs coupled with the reduction in revenue has had a catastrophic impact and the stresses they continue to face cannot be underestimated.
"Elgin BID has been working closely with council officials to try and support the businesses as we all adapt to the 'new normal', but this decision will have a hugely negative effect and undermine the hard work that has been achieved to aid recovery.
"We all understand that towns are a critical asset to any local economy, they are the driving force behind economic success, support the supply chain and keep people employed but their role is more than financial it is essential to the social wellbeing of the region.
"Elgin, like all other Moray towns, plays a critical role in the regional economy and at this time we should all be working together to support each other.
"Businesses are only just beginning to re-open and as numbers increase, we need to do everything possible to help those who have survived this far. We have already seen some who have been unable to weather the storm and the focus should be firmly on assisting those who remain.
"As businesses begin to open many will be doing so on a phased basis, gradually increasing services over the coming months.
"We need to do everything possible to encourage the public to return to the towns, they need to feel safe, get easy access and not have concerns about touch points such as parking meters.
"The government and scientific recommendation clearly state that people should avoid using public transport. As a rural region, that means for many they will have no option but to use their own cars.
"Imposing these charges at such a fragile time will undoubtedly have a negative effect on recovery."
Elgin BID has urged councillors to reconsider this decision and refrain from reintroducing parking charges until early 2021.
Mrs Neill added: "At that stage the true impact of the crisis will be better understood and the businesses who have survived will have been given more time and support to adjust."
Elgin BID business member statements
Specsavers- Peter Taylor
"The start of August coincides with phase 4 of Scotland’s recovery plan and it seems rather cruel to impose parking charges just as the majority of businesses are moving towards a closer version of themselves prior to lockdown.
Not charging for parking when there was no demand for it but then re-imposing charges at the earliest sign of demand when customer footfall is critical to the recovery of bricks and mortar businesses does not signal an intent to support the recovery of Elgin businesses at a time when we need the most help and makes the offer of free parking seem like naught but an empty gesture.”
Pizzeria Toscana- Oriano Marchi
"At this time where businesses, particularly small businesses, have never had to deal with such a severe blow as the current pandemic crisis, the council should be helping to bolster businesses rather than crippling them further. By keeping the town centre as a parking charge free zone, at least until the end of the year, may just help encourage the footfall that businesses very much need."
Laura Scott – Ditsy Teacup
The impact this will have on mine, and every other small business in Elgin, could be the difference of trading or not. The footfall has increased this week with the opening of shops, but the confusion around road closures, and now paying for parking will be a strong deterrent to people coming into the town to support the local businesses. A simple thing of the cleanliness and safety of having people touching the pay and display machines is enough to put people off.
This needs to be stopped and prevented for as long as possible or it will turn the customers to the retail parks and mean the end of the high street.
Jean Stalker - property owner
It’s seems counter-productive to reintroduce parking charges when so many businesses are on a knife edge of survival. Should more go under this will impact others as footfall will slow with less to attract shoppers which will have a knock on impact for the council as they’ll get less parking fees and rates income and be overseeing a failing town centre.
Planta Café- Marius Puscas
I strongly consider at this moment and time the local business industry it's on the verge of collapsing. Even without the charges, it will be extremely difficult to get the footfall back into the city centre.
If the council decides to go ahead with the car park charges it will reduce every hope for businesses to pass this horrible period.
As a new business I am extremely worried being such difficult time and if we don't get all the support we can from the council, this will absolutely ruin the city centre. I hope Moray Council will reconsider their decision and understand that we need them to encourage the local people to shop local and stay local.
Subway- Liam Dalgarno
I am very disappointed to hear that the Moray Council are planning to charge for parking within the
city centre from August. I had to close my store within the St Giles Centre at the beginning of lockdown with no income whatsoever whilst still continuing to pay rent, utilities and all other costs.
There was a small grant but this doesn’t cover the outgoings from being closed. We are all eager to get back up and running to what is the new normal but this will also have implications to our business such as limiting the staff we can have in store, slowing our service and limiting the number of customers in store again means our sales are lower. With other stores we have open we are currently running at less than 40 per cent of our normal pre-Covid sales. This unfortunately does not cover our costs and personally we have had to already permanently close a store in Inverness. Free parking is a small help to all retailers in Elgin and we need every small helping hand we can to ensure our long term sustainability. If we don’t get lots of small helping hands more stores will close.
We can’t allow this to happen to what should be a thriving city centre. I plead to the council to review the parking charges in Moray.
South Street Cleaners- Dallas Esslemont
"As with all businesses in the town centre we are facing difficult and uncertain times. The reintroduction of parking charges at this stage would add even more strain to the business and would likely result in us having to reduce staff numbers.
Bearing in mind our street access for vehicles is to be restricted for the next 16 weeks the free use of car parks in the town will be detrimental to being able to both service our business and provide customers a convenient access to our shop. I am sure this is the case for the majority of businesses within the town centre and sincerely hope the council will reconsider their position on this matter."
Heather Glen Guest House- Angela Wimble
As a town centre business we are lucky to have our own small parking area but most businesses do not and many are struggling to get through this crisis.
With the new restricted access to the town centre it is vital that people can park free of charge close by, otherwise they just won’t come. Many are too scared to use public transport and will only travel in their own vehicle but if they have to pay to get near the shops then they will rely on out of town or online shopping and not bother coming into the centre to get a coffee or lunch or just pop to one of the small independent shops.
We try to encourage people to shop local but why would they possibly come for one small item and pay for parking when they can get free next day delivery online but each of those small items add up to keep a small independent business going.
I know the council needs money but if town centre businesses close they will lose far more income than some parking charges.
It is imperative that while the town centre closures are in place, the parking is free then things can be reviewed in October once we see how everything is working.
The Copy Shop- John Ruggeri
It was with some concern that I read about the proposed plan to reintroduce parking charges in Elgin. Businesses have just come out, or about to come out of lockdown having had to suffer losses in revenue, worry and stress and the council sees fit to hinder any recovery by reintroducing these charges when they should be encouraging and helping businesses to get back to some normality and aid the economic growth of the town.
Obviously none of these councillors are business people and completely out of touch with reality, did they have to use their hard earned savings to survive? I think not. I would urge Elgin BID to approach the council on behalf of the businesses of Elgin and at least persuade them to postpone these charges being implemented for the foreseeable future to allow the townsfolk and businesses to adjust to the new way of life and shopping.
Northfield Capital Limited- Property Owner- David Robinson
Our town centres are the heart of our communities physically, economically and psychologically and deserve direct Government Support, not only at national level but also at local government level.
The reintroduction of car parking charges has a materially adverse effect on the town centre and in particular those businesses that support it, especially in light of the extended out of town centre/retail park developments that have sucked expenditure away from the high street, and where no car parking charges apply.
Businesses are on their knees despite national government support in form of furlough, frants and loans and require further support from local government, and the reintroduction of car parking charges flies completely in the face of this. The reintroduction of town centre car parking charges should be delayed at least until 2021 or in the short term some concessionary rate be applied. Alternatively, council-owned car parks , as well as the St Giles Centre parking, should continue to be free, if on street car parking is to be chargeable.
Moray Reach Out- Shirley Nicoll
Reinstating charges for parking at this time will impact on our business and I need to park somewhere as it is not safe in the bus. It has been difficult without full wages for months and now we have to pay for parking. There is no free parking around the shop and this costs me a fortune daily.
It is bad enough that the council have put a taxi rank in front of our social enterprise day service shop with no notification and now the TMC Transport will not manage to drop off and pick up our service users safely. We need customers to be able to drop off and pick up orders and delivery companies.
We need free parking so we can welcome back even more customers.
Pencil Me In- Sarah Holmes
I was pleased and relieved to see the road closures around the town centre giving myself and my neighbours on Batchen street the chance to really show as a full independent street what we could really do as a destination area. The reintroduction of parking charges in August is a significant blow.
I would plea as a minimum to the end of August to allow for the summer holiday period to be free across the town. We could really add this to our promotion of what’s going on in town. It was going to be such a huge selling point!
Elgin Gallery- Andrew Henderson
I am absolutely horrified by the news that Moray Council intend reintroducing parking charges in Elgin at a time when businesses are only just starting to open and trying to get back on their feet.
This is the polar opposite to what should be happening at the moment, with no charges to park in the centre of town until we can instil confidence in the public that we can open and operate safely, and this will take time. I simply cannot understand the thinking that arrives at such a decision at this critical juncture.
I run a business in South Street and have to compete with businesses out with the town centre, and this just feels like a kick in the teeth when we are already down! I can only hope that if we all voice our concern that common sense and understanding will prevail.
Chic Studio- Adina Gergely
As an owner of a business with three employees that has been opened for the last three years in Elgin I find your decision really difficult to understand . The business (nail salon) has been closed more than three months and I still do not have a date when we will be able to open, no certain guidelines.
By introducing the charges at this moment in time when everyone is struggling and trying to do our best in the current circumstances, you are not taking the businesses , seriously. You need to consider the small businesses around the city centre.
By introducing these charges at such an early stage of recovery is not morally and financially accepted by the community as a whole, and has a massive negative implication on the businesses that are still standing.
SACRO- Kathleen Donaldson
Whilst I appreciate Moray Council are under financial pressure not just with regards to Covid-19 so are all the local residents and business. New road closures and diversions will make navigating the town centre more challenging. The cost of some of the car parks is excessive and depending on the time you need to be in town it is a lottery as to whether or not you will be able to get a space close to the town centre.
I work for a charity and whilst Covid has not had an impact on our salary as we are all still working, staff are only paid minimum wage and have found the money saved on parking has been a benefit to them all financially.
I do not understand why, when local businesses are struggling to recoup the losses they have accrued through loss of trading, Moray Council feels it is a good time to re-introduce the paid for car parks.
I would urge that the car park charges are not re-instated as early as August to help increase shoppers in the town centre.
Elgin Museum- Janet Trythall
It has to be accepted as a reality that public transport was already inadequate to supply the needs of everyone wanting to come into Elgin, whether to work, shop, socialise or otherwise benefit the town's prosperity, and with Covid, this will be exacerbated.
Elgin town centre desperately needs a boost. It is extremely unjust that out of town shopping and cafes have free parking, especially now there is no limitation on what types of retail can set up out of town.
We do not know when we can reopen Elgin Museum to the public, and it may well be not until next spring at the earliest given the logistics and constraints of our building and the nature of visitor activity in a museum. However, there is useful and urgent work we may be able to carry out meanwhile with our volunteers. Since charges were introduced it has made it a significant expense and real hassle for volunteers, most of whom are retired and/or have health issues and seems unfair when they are already giving of their time to have to pay to park.
In this case, the new normal should be to encourage trade and inward investment, not further stifle Elgin with parking charges.
Elgin Furniture Centre
This is such bad decision-making on the council's part. We are coming out of a 12-13 week lockdown and the chances are people are still pretty apprehensive about leaving their houses to go looking around shops. The plan has already been passed to close the roads between set times all around the high street and if you start charging for parking again people will be even less willing to come to the town centre.
Reintroducing parking charges is a ridiculous idea.
Sound & Vision- Victor Flett
Regarding the reintroduction of parking charges by the local council, my view is 'Are the council hell bent on killing off any chance of the survival of any business in the town, as by turning the whole of the centre into a pedestrian area and reintroducing parking charges they once again are funnelling every shopper to Edgar Road where parking is free.
A town needs traffic passing through it so visitors especially can see what we have to offer, then hopefully find a reasonably priced parking place to then browse our shops and businesses.
Please HELP our town to re invigorate not degenerate!
Poundland- Gerry McAloon
We have been opened throughout this pandemic and I can tell you that footfall is over 50 per cent down on the same time last year. In the early days of lockdown it was a lot higher than this.
We need to do our utmost to resist the re-introduction of parking charges and I'm aware that they are a source of income to the council but to me it seems almost discriminatory that the high street retailers are singled out for this tax on drivers who wish to support or even visit their local high street.
All of these councillors should take a walk along their high street and see how "tired and dilapidated" (to quote a recent visitor) that they have allowed it to become. They need to get a grip but I fear the income source will outweigh any other considerations.
Seaforth Club- Steve Christie
With regard to the reintroduction of parking charges, even as a non driver I'm not in favour of the idea especially when the more affluent streets are to be closed off for periods over the next 16 weeks. Many businesses will be looking for trade, having already lost four months of this year, sadly it doesn't say much for them when the local authority is planning to charge any potential trade for parking.
The Pop Shop- Peter Ralston
In a time where most councils are trying to help their town centres and businesses grow and get back on their feet, ours seems to want to do the opposite. They need to wake up and take a socially distanced stroll down the high street. We are losing businesses everywhere due to Coronavirus.
Some are even big name stores, or those that have been around a long time in Elgin. If large high street brands can’t even survive, what hope do the little independents have without the council's support?
Adding parking charges at a time when we need customers back in store, people on the high street, and the whole of Elgin to come together to support one another. They are heading in the opposite direction.
They have to remember that even the customers we will be relying on will be feeling the hurt of being on furlough, or losing their jobs. Every penny they can save and have to spend on other things will help. They can do without the parking charges for a while to let everyone get back on their feet.
Sirology- Richard Cumming
I am utterly stunned, disheartened and shocked at reading in the Northern Scot that Moray Council
are going to be re-introducing car park charges across Elgin from August 1.
This will be the end of a number of businesses in Elgin who are currently fighting against the current trading conditions and influx to retail parks.
Sadly we have seen many already close and the thought of charges being brought in so early into the re-opening of businesses is in my opinion disgusting.
I have already spoken with a number of business owners who are livid at this news and I fear a fightback will come. I I shall personally drive forward if these charges come into force so early and I will start a public petition if need be. This cannot happen in the current climate and I would have imagined that Moray Council will have applied t assistance to cover the loss of income under the resilience funds offered to them.
Birnie’s Pet Shop- Andrew Birnie
Can I please get a full explanation why Moray Council feels this is acceptable within the current climate. To say I am disappointed in this decision is an understatement.
It will have a complete detrimental effect on all town centre businesses, this will hurt and impact us all, some of which who have only just reopened, and are making attempts at the long road ahead to hopefully get back on their feet again.
Sadly not all will come out the other side, I have already had friends' businesses go under due to the pressures of Covid-19.
To be brutally honest, the parking charges news has angered me, and has piled on even more worry to an already stressful situation for myself and my family.
After all the work and effort I have put in these last three months, as an essential business, I have remained open, working alone, and served the community. I have followed the guidelines to the letter, I have kept our hours reduced to keep myself, my family and our customers safe - done everything that has been asked, to now hear this latest bit of news, it feels like a direct slap in the face.
Not only that, but a double whammy within a week with the news of also closing the high street during the day between 11am-4pm from July 6, and other restrictions with disabled parking, till October (maybe longer). To add parking charges to that burden can only be viewed by all businesses as a total disregard for our survival.
It feels like abandonment.
It’s like saying shop local just for effect, with zero substance behind it - you can’t park on the street and nip in for something anymore, and if you do want to shop in town, you’re going to have to pay heavily for it.
I do not agree with the closing of the High Street, this in itself will have an effect on my business, I and many businesses I have spoken with rely heavily on door collections, easy access, and footfall from that.
We have a lot of elderly, disabled or customers with mobility issue, who cannot manage to walk far. We tried to show a silver lining, a positive spin on the road closures, that there was currently free parking available, hurrah at the forward thinking Moray Council for giving us that, to hopefully help, in hope to encourage footfall and for customers to not abandon us.
I get why the road closures are happening for restaurants and tables, outside eating areas, but is there not any other solutions to this that can work for us all.
Please soften the blow of this by holding off the parking charges, we all need that support from the council with free parking, it will entice customers to the town. The parking charges need to be scrapped for the duration of your imposed street closure till October (or whenever it is reopened),
I’d go as far as to say to please consider extending it till after Christmas and New Year to give us all a fair chance.
At the very least, please give us the first half hour of parking for free, then £1 for the day on all paid car parks. We all know that the public need no further encouragement to bash the Council, or hate on the town centre, and shop down at Edger Road, but both the road closures and parking charges will send them packing. We do hope the council will reconsider its position and reverse this decision, as once customers get into the habit of using the retail parks it is very difficult to get them back again.
As a business that has been here for 70 years with three generations of Birnie’s, please do not ignore this.
Car parking charges to be reintroduced
