The issue of parking costs in the centre of Kirkwall reared its head in the council chamber, as one councillor asked about the impact of the council offering the first hour free throughout the summer months.
According to council officers, work is already being done to investigate how people use the council’s pay-and-display car parks and how charges affect usage.
However, officers asked the committee to acknowledge that extending the free hour through the summer would mean the cost of managing and maintaining the car park wouldn’t be met.
A meeting of the council’s Development and Infrastructure committee took place this morning.
It included elected members being updated on the budget for the services overseen by the committee.
And it wasn’t the healthiest picture, with a budget overspend of £948,100 being predicted at the end of the financial year.
Nevertheless, councillor Lindsay Hall asked about “the implications” of extending the first hour of free parking into the summer months.
Does paying for parking in Kirkwall affect footfall on the high street?
He said he’d like to know how much it would end up costing the local authority and the “possible benefits it would accrue.”
In the budget report, it is stated that the council’s car parks saw less than anticipated income by £175,800 over the year.
Income from both electric vehicle charging and car parks is “variable and unpredictable”, states the report.
The income from car park charges was less than expected due to fewer people buying the higher priced parking tickets.
The council-operated car parks offer a seasonal tariff which features free parking for the first hour over the winter months.
In a move to encourage people to return to Kirkwall’s high street, the council offered the free hour of parking in the summer months of 2021.
Mr Hall said he believes people will use free parking where it is available.
As such, in Kirkwall, drivers would be more likely to use the parking opposite the town’s supermarkets, Tesco and Lidl, he said.
Should the council offer first-hour free parking while it’s budget it under performing?
As a result, they would do their shopping there rather than on Kirkwall’s main street.
He added: “I think we should be supporting local business throughout the year and not just in the wintertime.
“I also think that people who come in from the islands have a limited amount of time.
“They need to have access to town centre services when they are there.”
The council’s corporate director of neighbourhood services and infrastructure, Hayley Green replied to the councillor.
She said a “holistic approach” was needed when looking at the issue.
However, at the end of the day they need to balance the budget.
“From our perspective, if we added an extra hour we know we’re going to get a loss in income.
A ‘holistic’ approach is needed say officers
“You can see that in the budgets we’ve had in the past, particularly last year when we extended that. You can see the impact.
“That’s not to say that there wouldn’t be an increase in business, as you rightly say. Local businesses certainly would be very keen to have it.
“But you can’t look at this in isolation and we’re about to start a review of the issue.
“From the point of view of budget holders for this budget, if we’re being asked to make this budget balance, it makes it much harder if we extend the one-hour free parking in Kirkwall.
“We would need to view the whole story and bring it to members for consideration.”
Mr Hall replied: “I’m not proposing that we look at this in isolation.
“I’m proposing that we get some background to this before we make a realistic decision.
“The holistic approach you’re putting forward should include not only the effect on local businesses.
“It should also include the effect on people who don’t live in Kirkwall.
“There is a considerable number of people who don’t live in Kirkwall who have to come in. They need to be able to access town centre services.”
Conversation