IN recent weeks The Crow has published the astronomical amount of money that North Herts District Council has collected in parking fines since the new system came into operation. Last week you reported that parking charges could increase by 40 per cent.
IN recent weeks The Crow has published the astronomical amount of money that North Herts District Council has collected in parking fines since the new system came into operation. Last week you reported that parking charges could increase by 40 per cent. I expect the parking attendants are on a bonus system whereby the more people they catch parking over the limit or illegally, the more money they will receive. The whole operation is just for money-making, and I can not understand the justification to raise car parking charges. Since my wife and I came to live in Melbourn nine years ago, numerous shops have closed down and some premises even today remain empty. The causes may be the high rates and rents, but the lack of custom must have something to do with it. Free parking at Tesco cannot help. Visitors to Ely will know that there is free parking for 23 hours. I recently visited the town of Witney which is 12 miles from Oxford - the same distance that Royston is from Cambridge - and again there was free parking. In both Ely and Witney the shops were full. If Herts North District Council wish to see Royston flourish then it must reconsider the whole issue of car parking or Royston will continue to die. JOHN STEVENS Water Lane Melbourn
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