'It's only fair that visitors who use our services should pay towards them'
Holidaymakers visiting South Devon tourist hotspots like Salcombe and Dartmouth will, after all, have to pay more to park than local people.
After months of sometimes acrimonious debate, South Hams Council has finally decided to go ahead with a two-tier parking strategy.
Charges will go up across all the district’s car parks, but locals will be able to apply for a £5 permit which will give them a discount every time they park.
Councillors heard that putting up fees for the first time since April 2021 will generate much-needed income for the council as it tries to balance its books in the face of ever-dwindling support from central government.
But some town councils and business groups have warned that putting up fees and making holidaymakers pay more than local people will put people off coming to the South Hams and spending money.
Cllr Nicky Hopwood (Con, Woolwell) described it as a ‘tourism tax’, to which council leader Julian Brazil (Lib Dem, Stokenham) responded: “They have a tourism tax on the continent, but people still go there!”
Members voted by a majority to go ahead with the new system, saying it would be reviewed at a later date to make sure it is working properly.
Cllr John Birch (Lib Dem, Totnes) said the council had to find ways of raising money to pay for essential services in the face of an ‘all-out attack’ on its finances by the government.
“If we throw this out, we will be in a very difficult position,” he said.
Cllr Hopwood said she was worried about the potential impact on local businesses, and also thought South Hams residents should be able to register for their discounts free of charge rather than paying five pounds.
She said the proposals were ‘nonsensical’.
Summing up, Cllr Brazil said: “It’s a small increase, and we think it’s only fair that visitors who come here and use our services should pay in some way towards those services.”
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