Sudbury Town Council opposes new tariff proposals for Babergh-owned car parks as petition reaches 3,000 signatures

More than 3,000 people have signed a petition against proposed cuts to free parking in Babergh’s council-run car parks, amid fears over its impact on the local economy.

Babergh District Council announced shortly before Christmas that it is considering new tariffs for its car parks in Sudbury, Hadleigh and Lavenham, in response to a £1.5 million gap in its budget.

But, a packed meeting of Sudbury Town Council on Tuesday night revealed overwhelming opposition locally, particularly around the potential loss of the three-hour free parking provision.

A spokesman for Babergh District Council stated that the authority spent approximately £425,000 to subsidise this offer in 2022.

With costs expected to rise further this year, Babergh leaders claim they cannot afford to do this any longer.

However, town councillors and members of the public voiced concerns about the damage such changes could do to the business, leisure and tourism sectors.

They also questioned the timing of the announcement, and demanded more information about the financial figures given by Babergh.

Meanwhile, an online petition was launched in late December by Paul Clover, district councillor for Lavenham, calling for the proposed changes to be scrapped.

Within the space of a week, the petition, which runs until the end of January, had already accrued more than 2,000 signatures, and has since added another 1,000.

As a result, Sudbury Town Council agreed to write a joint letter to all Babergh members, setting out its objections, ahead of the Babergh cabinet meeting on Tuesday, when the issue will be discussed.

Sudbury mayor Jan Osborne told the meeting that the three hours of free parking is a main selling point that helps the town compete with larger shopping centres like Bury St Edmunds and Colchester.

“Last year, we won the Town of the Year Award for Suffolk,” she said. “We wouldn’t have won that if we weren’t an up-and-coming town, so it’s looking really positive, and this is the wrong time to implement parking charges.

“There may be a time to do so, when we have got a really good shopping and visitor offer. We haven’t got that yet, so we can’t compete with the bigger towns.

“Once we’ve got that offer, it might be time to look at parking charges, but now is not the right time.”

Next week, Babergh’s cabinet will discuss the recommended approach for assessing potential parking tariff options on its car parks.

Subject to approval, this will see a targeted consultation carried out with the affected towns and parishes, before a further report is brought back to the cabinet in April.

This week, it was heard that any changes would not be made until 2025, with the district council intending to use cash reserves to cover its budget deficit in the interim.

But, at the Sudbury Town Council meeting on Tuesday night, attendees queried how the district authority had reached this situation, and what impact there would be on other services.

John Purser, representing the Sudbury Society, said: “The speed and timing of this announcement also disappoints us.

“We would rather hear evidence – how is the subsidy being spent?”

Melanie Barrett added: “We may never get to the heart of that £425,000 figure, because Babergh will weave its own story and come up with some sort of rationale.”

In addition to concerns about small businesses, the meeting heard that cutting free parking could affect people’s health, if it dissuaded people from visiting Kingfisher Leisure Centre.

The issue of negative parking behaviours was also raised, as it was suggested that shoppers may begin flocking excessively to free supermarket car parks, or on to residential side streets.

Nigel Bennett told members that the arguments they made back in 2021 – when the district council put forward similar proposals – still applied today.

He highlighted Roy’s in Great Eastern Road as a business that would be particularly badly affected, because it is served by a Babergh-owned car park.

“Whenever you raise charges, some people will make a decision to avoid it,” said Cllr Bennett.

“Some people will choose to go where parking is free. Some will choose to park on the side streets and make life a lot harder for residents. There will be a definite negative consequence.

“We need to protect our small businesses. The money Babergh does spend on its car parks helps with economic vitality, and if they charge, they will, in essence, shoot themselves in the foot.”

Andrew Welsh stressed the importance of collaborating with Hadleigh, Lavenham and other neighbouring parishes to fight the plans, emphasising that Sudbury is not the only location affected.

In addition, Peter Beer insisted that all Babergh representatives should be given a vote on any final decision surrounding this matter – not just cabinet members.

Jessie Carter, the sole Sudbury councillor sitting on Babergh’s cabinet, confirmed her opposition to the proposals.

She added that the free parking offer was a major appeal for new businesses, citing it as a reason she opened a shop in the town.

“It’s also been said that it’s a done deal, but it isn’t,” she said. “We have fought this before and won. We just have to come together again.”