Labour Town Councillor for Yeovil South, Terry Ledlie, does not believe that plans to introduce car parking charges in Yeovil on Sunday, is in the best interests of the Town. South Somerset District Council is also planning a ten per cent rise to car parking charges, Monday – Saturday, and justify the proposed rises by saying it’s to help to pay for the maintenance of pay-machines.
Terry said “I find this very hard to believe! Other towns like Radstock whose machines still offer free parking, will continue having to maintain their machines; so, in reality the argument of maintenance does not stack up. It would seem that councillors are using rises in car parking charges to raise revenue, apparently up to £20,000 per year. However, this will be at the expense of hard working people and these councillors forget that this move could have a negative effect on Yeovil, turning it into a mere Ghost Town. With this happening, more and more people are travelling away from Yeovil. It is time, that complacent councillors changed their approach and their willingness to manage the decline.”
Terry added “If Yeovil were to offer a scheme of free parking for the first hour then it would bring many more people to our Town and that would in turn boost the local economy”.
Reversing Lib Dem inertia
Terry supposes that the Liberal Democrat councillors who run Yeovil will again rely on voter inertia to re-elect them at next May’s council elections but he has confidence that slowly voters eyes are being opened. “If people are starting to see what has and is still happening in Yeovil, under the past and current Councillor’s it will not be long before people switch their voting to alternative political parties,”
“Come next May when the incumbent councillors have everything to lose” Concludes Terry “ Although I have little influence at present , I believe that if Yeovil elects more Labour Councillors on Parish/District Councils then maybe, a fresh view could help to restore Yeovil to a decent Town to live in.”