Clevedon traders in protest against on-street parking charges

Some independent town traders wore black funeral clothing as they staged a protest against proposed parking charges, which they warn will kill-off trade.

Last October, North Somerset Council voted to introduce on-street and car parking charges in Clevedon, Nailsea and Portishead, as a way to balance its books.

Clevedon shopkeeper Judith Levy, who took part in the demonstration on Hill Road, said: “We’ve seen it happen in other places where independent shops start closing up and it would be awful if it were to happen here.”

North Somerset Council said it “needs to save £44m over the next three years after reduced national government funding”.

Charges are set be introduced following a consultation of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs), which closes on 18 July.

A council spokesperson said it has seen an increase in demand for services, particularly in adult social care and children’s services, along with rising costs.

They added: “We’ve had no choice but to review all areas of council income generation and spend, including making the difficult decision on introducing parking charges across North Somerset.”

But some independent shopkeepers accused the local authority of being careless with their spending.

“I understand the council need to balance their budget but part of the problem is their own making with the big mess they’ve done on the seafront”, said Ms Levy, referring to the removal of the controversial wiggly road markings which cost about £1.5m.

“We’ve already lost about 30% of trade since the seafront debacle”, she said, claiming businesses have seen lower footfall after the removal of sea-facing parking in Clevedon and the introduction of a one-way system.

“Since then all the traders on Hill Road have found it harder. It hit the reputation of the town and it stopped a lot of people coming,” she added.

North Somerset Council hopes to raise a million pounds as it seeks to balance its books.

Council leader Mike Bell, previously said parking hikes were “unavoidable”, warning the council “was in a financial emergency”.

Ms Levy, who runs a retail and yoga studio on Hill Road is also worried about the impact new charges can have on nearby roads.

“Our street will be paid parking which means residential streets around it will be full of cars because people will try to avoid paying,” she said.

She suggested having a park and ride into town.

Discover Clevedon, which represent traders, has written to the council saying a 30-minute free parking period was not included in the recently published Traffic Regulation Orders.

“The published TROs do not accurately reflect the decision previously made by North Somerset Council to include a 30-minute free parking period for on-street parking,” the letter said.

“This omission means that the proposals do not present an accurate basis for respondents to comment on, effectively removing the opportunity for stakeholders to fulfil the statutory requirements of the TRO consultation process.”

North Somerset Council did not respond to the claims, but has invited residents, businesses and other organisations to comment via their website.

They added: “All comments received will be reviewed and a decision will be taken shortly on the next steps regarding introducing parking charges in Clevedon.”