'Parking fee rise could kill our town'

Businesses in Dudley have said they fear new parking charges will be the "final nail in the coffin" for their once-bustling town centre.

Mick Butler has owned The Pet Pantry for 25 years, and believes there will be "no shops" left in the town by the time public transport upgrades are complete.

New fees were introduced across the borough on 1 October, ending a two-hour free period, while work to build the new Dudley Interchange remains ongoing.

The council said charges were necessary to meet the financial demands of maintaining car parks.

Mr Butler said: "Everybody is saying the same thing. 'What are we going to do? This is going to kill us, this is going to shut us down'.

"Customers are telling me, 'you normally see me twice a week, you ain't going to see me twice a week now, you'll only see me once, or not at all.

"'I ain't paying for parking, to come to a town that there's nothing to shop for.'"

Some businesses have noticed a decline in their takings since the changes were introduced.

They have been backed by Labour MP Alex Ballinger, who has asked the council to reconsider.

Becky Willets from Cards 4 You said they had seen a "dramatic downturn" over the past week, and that she "fears high streets will be shut down completely".

"I don't think people will want to come in when the charges are so high. Especially when they can go to big shopping centres for free."

The manager of Compton's Coffee Dudley, Michelle Reece, said charging visitors to the town more will have a "massive impact, because £1.80 is a cup of coffee".

"We've got a lot of things going on across the board with the metro, the bus station, and now you add that on top of it."

"There are a lot of things impacting trade, so to add parking charges on top of that it's having a massive impact," she added.

Businesses and visitors have now started a petition against the new fees, which has reached more than 3,300 signatures.

Campaigner Andrew Griffin said the change had "come at a bad time" due to the metro line and bus station remaining unfinished.

"We already know one business - she will be closing next year when her lease is up."

He added: "I know traders here that are literally subsidising their businesses with their savings and that's not good."

The fee increases are expected to bring in £1.9m in their first full year, starting in 2025.

Council leader Patrick Harley said: "The revised parking charges, including the reintroduction of charges for the first two hours, form part of the first phase of the parking strategy and are linked to a wider review of fees and charges."

He added: “Further consultation, including with local businesses, is proposed for phase two of the parking strategy.

“The review will consider other forms of travel, including the ongoing works to public transport in Dudley."

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