Constituency matters... a weekly column by the Member of Parliament for Folkestone and Hythe, Damian Collins.
2 February 2012

On Friday this week I am meeting with Martyn Jackson who owns and runs the Landau store in Sandgate Road and Daniel Sangiuseppe from Folkestone’s Burlington Hotel. They are both representing local retailers and hoteliers in the town who are concerned about what the impact could be on their businesses if a new regime of charging people to park on the town centre roads is introduced.

I share their concerns and believe that this would be the wrong decision for Folkestone and the rest of Shepway. The council is currently running the first stage of its consultation on the parking strategy for Folkestone and I would urge all residents to make sure that their voice is heard.

The excellent Christmas initiatives run by Shepway over the last three years where you can park for free on the last major shopping weekend before the holidays, has demonstrated that when parking is easier and cheaper, more people come in to town.

Martyn Jackson has also prepared an excellent presentation looking at the locations of empty shops in the centre of Folkestone. This largely shows that businesses can struggle on roads with poor access. So, for example, there are more empty shops on pedestrian and one-way roads like Guildhall Street and Tontine Street, than the western end of Sandgate Road where there is two way traffic and you can park.

This would strike many people as common sense, but I think shows that the current debate about parking in the centre of town opens up a broader issue about how we try to create the right conditions to support businesses and create new jobs.

The review conducted for the Government by Mary Portas on the future of our high streets and town centres, makes a number of recommendations on how we can support them. These include reducing car parking charges and trying to attract a range of unique, independent businesses that help to give our high streets character and vibrancy.

We are fortunate to have a range of established independent businesses, in addition to the investment in the Old Town area of Folkestone from the Creative Foundation. We also have a wealth of events and festivals across the year to bring in visitors. I believe we should also consider what more needs to be done. For example, should we look again at the way traffic flows are managed in the town or if some of the old pedestrians schemes are still appropriate. I would welcome your ideas on this.

The Localism Act passed by parliament last year also gives new powers to councils in the way they can set businesses rates. From April council’s will have the power to offer bigger discretionary reductions in business rates. This means reductions could be offered to struggling smaller businesses, or particular types of businesses which have low margins but whose presence helps make a high street more vibrant; like an independent baker or green grocer for example; or even a locality where economic conditions make trading difficult.

All of this costs money which is why there needs to be a proper debate about what we want our town centres to be like and how this can be resourced. The Local Government Finance Bill currently before parliament will also give councils new powers to borrow money against future business rate receipts to invest in improving the infrastructure of the local economy.

Hawkinge Gazette and Channel Coast News 2012 ©