Disappointment over parking decision

The Town Centre BID worked in conjunction with with Bournemouth Coastal BID, Poole BID and Christchurch BID in response to the controversial decision by BCP Council to axe free Christmas parking – which predictably sparked an avalanche of comment and complaint from our levy payers.

The BIDs response and that of all the levy payers conurbation-wide left BCP Council in no doubt about the feeling of the business community. This response resulted in substantial coverage the local print & broadcast media media.

Mr Kinvig said: “To say we were disappointed in the council’s decision was probably the understatement of the year. To have made that decision without any consultation or giving us the opportunity to suggest a joint scheme was an additional blow.”

He said many other councils were continuing with Christmas parking concessions despite also having considerable financial pressures. He added: “We know just how important it is to be able to attract visitors and residents to the town centre, as businesses continue to grapple with the cost of living and the cost of doing business.”

Mr Kinvig said the BID and the council had invested significantly in Christmas Tree Wonderland and so scrapping free parking “seems totally counterintuitive”.