Medway's businesses worry ahead of parking prices rise

It follows a similar price rise since last year Finn Macdiarmid reports...

Transcript

00:00Any kind of parking increase as well as all of the other increase including rates

00:04is a bit tough to swallow.

00:09Parking prices have risen in Medway from £2.30 to £2.90 for two hours

00:14and it's not the first time with it having cost £1.70 to park at Blue Boar Lane in Rochester

00:18for two hours before the 8th of April 2024.

00:22Locals are worried for the effect it could have on the health of their high street

00:25while businesses aren't just worried over whether customers will still want to visit the towns

00:29but about how their staff will cope as well.

00:31Well not only is it affecting customers coming into the shop it's also affecting volunteers

00:35so a lot of the times volunteers drive down and they park up and obviously pay to volunteer.

00:42The main thing that is causing an issue is the fact that obviously they're not able to afford to come down to help volunteer

00:47which then leaves us short staffed and the whole process of the shop and everything relies on our volunteers

00:53without them we wouldn't be able to run the shop itself.

00:55Independent shops like Get Ready Comics fear for how it could affect the town's economy as a whole.

01:00Yeah I think a lot of people are starting to use public transport but ultimately you know

01:04I don't know the reasoning behind the parking charge increase.

01:08Everyone's costs are going up it's just unfortunate that those costs are being passed on to the consumers

01:14people visiting the high street and the shops themselves.

01:18Makes it very very difficult to survive in a market like this.

01:22Some are also worrying the prices could affect Rochester as a tourist spot.

01:27Prices they pay over here is astronomical compared to what we don't really pay in Australia.

01:33It's a strange pricing structure I guess for the people that want to pop in to just grab something

01:37£2.40 is quite high and then obviously you don't have to pay much more for two hours but yeah it seems high.

01:44I'm okay with them because I'd rather pay a little bit more and park closely to town

01:47and have a safer parking space it's pretty convenient so I don't think they're that bad to be fair.

01:50Now Rochester as a city has a lot to offer it's got culture history and plenty of independent businesses

01:56but those same businesses do worry that if the parking prices keep increasing they've already gone from

02:02£2.30 to £2.90 that they'll see less people parking in the town for two hours and it could also mean

02:07just less people visiting their stores but it's not just a problem here in Rochester

02:11but even in the other Medway towns like Gillingham and Chatham.

02:16But Medway council have stood by their decision saying the financial pressure local authorities

02:21across the country are feeling is no secret. Unfortunately this means some difficult decisions

02:25had to be made when setting this year's budget including increasing parking fees.

02:29Despite the increase Medway's parking charges do remain in line with neighbouring authorities.

02:33For locals, businesses and visitors to the towns they say that rising prices are something

02:37they've become used to and while many aren't happy about it they're telling me they'll simply

02:41have to accept the extra cost rather than hope for a shift in gears from the council.

02:46Finn McDermid for Kame TV in Medway.