Wincanton Resident is Astonished by Car Park Parking Fine

Was it just my car or did anyone else get a parking fine last week whilst parked in Churchfields Car Park?

Living at the bottom of Church Street makes parking on the road, well, interesting. I could park right outside my house; there are no yellow lines or parking restrictions, but it would make me about as popular as horsemeat here. Nothing would move up the street. Hence we park in Churchfields Car Park for anything longer than the quick pull over to hurl shopping through the door (moving in with a double lorry is possibly the worst way to meet your neighbours for the first time...).

So I was astounded last Wednesday when I walked over to the car park to find I had a parking ticket on my windscreen. The ticket informed me that I had overstayed the allowed time, that the car had been seen in the car park on Monday morning and it was still there on Wednesday morning, as verified by code 80.

Code 80, I found out, means that the car was observed for 10 minutes on Monday morning and again on Wednesday morning. If I parked there on Monday, does that mean I cannot come back until after Wednesday morning? Because on Monday afternoon I drove to work, via Lidls, to do some food shopping for the Tuesday's Loose Ends Cafe at the Balsam Centre. I have the receipt.

After driving to work, I came home and parked the car in the car park again. Then I drove to Lidls and Morrisons to get shopping for us; again, I still have the receipts. By Wednesday morning I was actually in a different parking slot to Monday, albeit the one next to the original bay.

My car is old and is becoming increasingly eccentric so now she has given up allowing me to use the driver's door lock; unlocking and locking has to be done via the passenger door. Occasionally, the driver's door remains resolutely locked so I like to leave space on the left in case I have to fold myself like a paper plane through the passenger door to reach the driver's seat.

On Monday I was parked between two cars - but thankfully the car allowed me entrance in the dignified way. By Wednesday morning, though, I had my preferred parking space next to the disabled bay giving wider door access on the left. So did I get my ticket because they thought I was in the same parking bay and hadn't moved, or because if I've parked there once I can't return within, what, a week?

I have written to appeal against the ticket, of course. I am concerned that people who park in the car park may be suddenly hit with parking tickets periodically.

Keeping this car park free was essential on many levels; not to discourage shoppers from coming to Wincanton when they could park for free and shop elsewhere; to encourage parents to park their cars here to drop their kids rather than in front of the primary school, and to alleviate some of the parking problems for residents on Church Street and Mill Street. Actually, the last one might not have been high on the agenda for anyone else, but to residents on this street, it was vital. Where could we park otherwise? (The Health Centre? It's not that far to walk, is it..?).

There is a 24 hour parking restriction on the sign but it has never been put in force as far as I'm aware. Has this changed? Will we have to keep a look out for another set of parking attendants? These attendants are different, apparently, to the ones who patrol the on-street parking. Or will we have to play musical cars and swap parking bays as the 24 hours time approaches?

I called Colin Winder, who was as astonished as I was, and just as annoyed. As far as he was concerned, the deal struck with the South Somerset District Council was to have NO charges. Are SSDC now going to tell us that didn't include parking fines? Colin has requested a copy of my ticket, which I've given him along with copies of my receipts, and he will also be asking some questions.

Watch this space!

Annette

Additional words from Sam Atherton, Town Clerk

Free Parking in Wincanton

Wincanton Town Council pay a compensation fee to South Somerset District Council of £24,000 per annum to keep all three car parks in the Town free.

It has come to Council's attention that residents are receiving parking tickets from parking in the car parks. I would ask any residents who receive parking tickets from any of the three car parks to come and see either myself or Muriel in the Community Office.

Council will be taking up this matter with South Somerset District Council to ensure that whilst we have an agreement under the compensation scheme, no charges are payable at the car parks.

Comments

Nick Colbert
Posts: 1

"Free" parking
Reply #1 on : Fri February 08, 2013, 14:48:12

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At the District Council elections 2 years ago Colin Winder and I warned people that Lib/dem run SSDC were planning to charge us to park in our town, the Lib/dem candidate denied that was the case. Within a year of the election SSDC stated that they were indeed intending to charge for parking as we had warned. As Sam says above, despite the bulling tactics eventually the town council was forced to agree to pay the District Council a car parking tax, or parking compensation fee, totaling £24,000 per annum for the next 3 years, or face the town centre dying.

The County Council polices the on street parking and the District Council polices the car parks. If I remember correctly, because the District Council had to freeze their rate to get a central government grant, they demanded the money, under threat of car park charges, from the Town Council who would in turn increase the rates to the people of Wincanton. To sweeten the deal the District Council offered to split the "profit" from fines in the car parks between them.

The Town Council had little option other than pay up or watch the town centre die more quickly as parking charges were introduced. Unfairly the Wincanton residents will see an increase in their rates this year to cover the District Councils car park tax.

During the week long snow at the end of January "Enforcement operative 009" put a ticket on my father-in-laws car for being in the lower Carrington Way car park for 3 consecutive days. The car was in a disabled spot outside an elderly people’s residence (Homecanton House). The council had not gritted the area outside the home and the operative could not see the tax disc because the car was covered in snow. Jim is 83, had open heart surgery has a pacemaker and severe arthritis; he was housebound for a week. The police, AA and RAC were advising healthy people not to travel unnecessarily. Jim would not have been able to walk in those conditions (he uses a mobility vehicle to get about), much less de-snow his car, move it and get back home again. It should have been pretty obvious to "Enforcement operative 009" that a snow covered vehicle outside an elderly persons home in a disabled spot was not a vehicle to ticket, but no, it seems enforcement had to be carried out without regard to common sense.

I wonder Annette, was it "Enforcement Officer 009" who seems to have enthusiastically booked you with no knowledge as to whether you had moved your car or not?

I would love to know.

Last Edit: February 08, 2013, 15:33:26 by Nick Colbert  

Annette
Posts: 2

Officer 009
Reply #2 on : Sun February 10, 2013, 14:26:18

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Ah, yes, Nick, it was indeed Enforcement Officer 009. Clearly no 007 and definitely not the brightest match in the box.

Matt Bishop
Posts: 1

Free parking.
Reply #3 on : Mon February 11, 2013, 20:57:47

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Well done Sam Atherton.

Victor Meldrew
Posts: 1

Re: Wincanton Resident is Astonished by Car Park Parking Fine
Reply #4 on : Wed February 13, 2013, 22:44:33

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Add to htis, the fact that the SSDC decided to take over the residents parking spaces for their own use during "working"hours. What would/will they do if a resident leaves their vehicle there while in hospital or even daring to walk to the shops? I am at a loss as to the remit for these `Parking Enforcement ...........` as there was a car parked for several weeks in the Memorial carpark with out-of date tax, but recieved no ticket, and District was NOT informed either.

Iain Phillips
Posts: 2

Disappointed
Reply #5 on : Fri February 15, 2013, 09:30:54

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Good article - however why was it necessary to make the aside about the health centre??

it seems to be the rule on this site that an article has to have a dig at the health centre.

most towns would be proud of having a state of the art £2m primary care facility

johnsmith
Posts: 1

Parking Fines
Reply #6 on : Fri February 15, 2013, 10:37:33

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I agree with Iain. This is a good article. We need to remember that SSDC were about to enforce parking meters on us and that would mean all of us feeding them every time we went to the Town Centre. Free parking was never an option. The only options on the table were options that ensured that SSDC got paid. Our choice was simply the one that caused the minimum damage to our Town Centre. So we end up paying £14k per annum for the next three years, and I suspect that we will then have to negotiate the next three years for which SSDC will put forward a case that due to inflation...... No doubt about that one.

As far as the Health centre goes I have to agree with Iain that I am not quite sure what the comment about the Health Centre had to do with this issue. The issue of the new Health Centre is history and there is no point in bringing it up at all. However I think Ian may be a bit over sensitive. I don't believe for one minute that it is mandatory that all articles must have a dig about the new Health Centre. Correct me if I am wrong Ed.

Posts: 1

Parking Fines
Reply #7 on : Fri February 15, 2013, 11:21:31

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Hi John, no definitely not mandatory to take pot shots at the Health Centre! Personally, I really enjoy the pleasant walk through the park to get there, though I realise not everyone's as active as myself.

But just to clarify for Wincanton Window newbies who might wonder, at least 90% of articles here are written by our local community of readers, not ourselves, and we'll publish them, warts and all, so long as they're not slanderous, libellous, yada, yada, yada...

But back to the topic at hand...

I'm curious as to the status of the parking regulations that existed even before the town handed over large wads of money to SSDC to ensure free car parking, the ones that state no parking for more than 24 consecutive hours. Is this still enforceable since the new arrangements came into being?

Now, I'm quite sure that Annette plays musicals cars frequently enough to ensure she never falls foul of this regulation, but she is obviously aware of its existence, even though it's never been enforced until now. But does that necessarily mean that SSDC's *right* to enforce it, if they so choose, is no longer valid? Just wondering, as I'm sure there must be less active car owners around Churchfields for whom a 24 hour period might easily pass without their car moving.

Annette
Posts: 2

Update on the parking fine.
Reply #8 on : Mon February 18, 2013, 22:50:56

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I have had a letter, cancelling the fine. Enclosed were two photos of my car in the car park. I do have to eat some humble pie, though, because it is clear I did in fact park in the same spot, next to the disabled bay, on both photos.... But, because my car was parked at a slightly different angle, the parking officer dropped the fine as the car clearly had moved between the first and the second photo.
I know there was a meeting about the car parks since tickets were issued; does anyone know the outcome? Will we have to keep moving our cars?
BIG APOLOGIES to Iain; this was not a dig at the Health Centre and its location. I know the Health Centre tried every which way to stay in the centre of town, and along with the shrinking time frame and the need to expand services in a growing town, you had to make the move. Poor joke; more humble pie dutifully eaten.

Iain Phillips
Posts: 2

Annette
Reply #9 on : Thu February 21, 2013, 07:00:53

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No worries!

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