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Traders despair as new version of 'nightlife tax' hits town centre
Jonathan Prynn, Consumer Business Editor27 Jan 2012
A London council has been attacked for "killing" its town centre by introducing Sunday parking charges.
Shoppers in Enfield now have to pay £1 for their first two hours of parking on Sundays. Traders say it has damaged a high street that had already suffered in last summer's riots.
They compared it to Westminster's "nightlife tax" plan, for evening and Sunday charges in the West End, which was withdrawn after a huge outcry.
Charges on the other days of the week in Enfield have gone up to £1.50 an hour.
The council says it wants to reduce congestion, increase turnover of parking and encourage shoppers to use "sustainable" forms of transport.
Chris Theodoulou, owner of Emma Claire hair and beauty salon, said: "Our clients say they are avoiding the area because of the astronomical charges. This high street will die. Footfall is down by up to 50 per cent over the past year. We've been here 36 years - the longest surviving independent trader - and I've never known anything like it."
The Sunday charges will raise an estimated £100,000 a year for the Labour council, which admits it needs to "gain additional revenue" because of pressure on finances from government cuts. But Tory councillor Terry Neville said Enfield town centre was particularly vulnerable because of free Sunday parking at nearby shopping centres and along the A10 corridor.
Mr Neville, a former John Lewis director, said: "I've been told that in the two weeks since charges were introduced Sunday trading has already gone down. It is now the equivalent of any other day and it used to be really busy."
In the Commons, Nick de Bois, Enfield North's Tory MP, called on the council to "withdraw its plans, cancel Sunday charges, repeal the increases and help, not hinder, shops and businesses."
Housing minister Grant Shapps said: "It is essential in these incredibly tough times for local authorities to appreciate that hammering the motorist visiting local shops will not be the solution to the area's problems."
A spokesman for Enfield council said Sunday charges had been subject to a full consultation and had already been delayed from their original start date before Christmas.
He added: "There is no straight comparison with Westminster, we are not talking £5 an hour. Our research suggests most people who visit the town centre come by foot or bus."
Reader views (3)
Eagle - not in the foot, in the head.
- Nigel, London, 27/01/2012 16:11
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This is further proof of the short sightedness of councils when they use motorists as cash cows. Short term this (my) council estimate increased revenue of £100k per year. In the meantime shops in the town centre will be suffering loss of revenue on Sundays (as is already happening according to at least one trader with first hand experience of it) that may well see them being forced to close because they are no longer a financially viable proposition.
That's an immediate loss to the council in business rates, and they will be left with an empty property until they can persuade another business to buy into an ever decreasing market share of something that forced the previous business out of that same market.
And what if the council can't find another sucker? They will be forced to either offer businesses huge discounts on its business rates, which equals loss of revenue to the council, or they can let the High Street fail entirely by leaving premises empty, which equals an even bigger loss of revenue to the council.
Ladies and gentlemen I give you Enfield council and their perfect example of how to shoot yourself in the foot.
- The Bald Eagle, Enfield, 27/01/2012 13:29
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Another kamikaze local government hell bent on acting stupidly. Where do they find these idiots???
- Mike Coventry, Hertford England., 27/01/2012 13:12
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