Community activist Attieh Fard has been receiving strong support from local residents and businesses to sign her petition to say NO to the Lib Dem Council's punitive parking proposals.
The petition is gathering momentum, with a huge number of people across the community signing the petition in less than 24 hours. If you live, work or visit Surrey Heath, sign Attieh's e-petition here.
Attieh Fard, a local resident in Mytchett, created the petition, which received hundreds of signatures within hours of going live on the Surrey Heath Borough Council website, with the number of signatories continuing to grow. In less than 24 hours, the petition has already reached the threshold for the contents of the petition to be debated at a Full Council meeting, and so reaching its objective.
Within the Surrey Heath Borough Council (SHBC) Car Parking Strategy report, find attached below, the Lib Dems are considering implementing charges at both Frimley Lodge Park and Lightwater Country Park, which have both always been free for the local community. The report states that "financial analysis of the costs associated with maintenance and addressing these safety concerns in these locations is being conducted". If the Lib Dems adopt the same approach they currently are with the rest of the car parks, charges are likely to soon be introduced.
Introducing parking charges at these locations will prevent those who are struggling as a result of the cost of living crisis from getting much-needed exercise, which will have an impact on their health, both physical and mental.
Commenting, Attieh said:
"Parking Charges in Surrey Heath are already to high and residents are choosing to spend their money in other towns and villages which is hurting local businesses in Surrey Heath.
"After a hard fought campaign by County Councillor Paul Deach and other Conservative Borough Councillors, a proposal by the former administration at Surrey Heath Borough Council to completely remove a 2 hour free period was reconsidered and reduced to one hour instead.
"The Liberal Democrat Council administration is proposing to reduce this to only half an hour which I believe will be damaging to local busniesses in our villages who are already struggeling. I also believe that this policy will displace parking to residentail streets that already have a severe lack of parking provision."
In his blog, Surrey Heath Conservative Association Chairman, Stuart Black said:
"My prefered Camberley car park, Knoll Road, goes up from a minimum of £1.20 to £2.30, an increase of 75%.
"Initially I thought at least they were not changing the local car parks in Frimley and Frimley Green. But what I didn’t realise was that ‘POF’ wasn’t a car park but stands for ‘Pay on Foot’ and includes the car parks across the Borough."
In another blog on the subject Stuart goes on to call out the Liberal Democrats hypocrisy after repeatedly opposing the previous administration who also wanted to increase parking charges.
County Councillor for Mytchett, Frimley Green and Deepcut, Paul Deach said:
"I find these latest proposals by the Liberal Democrat administration quite astonishing because they were very quick to heavily critisise the previous administration when they wanted to increase parking charges yet they are now increasing them. Their hypocrisy holds no bounds and is utterly shameful. Along with other Conservative Councillors I managed to halt plans to introduce parking charges at Frimley Lodge Park several years ago. The Liberal Democrats have proven in a very short space of time that they are anti business and do not listen to residents.
"I predict that the Lib Dem administration at Surrey Heath will wait until after the general election to introduce charges at Frimley Lodge Park and Lightwater Country Park as not to damage their Parliamentary Candidates chances."
If you live, work or visit Surrey Heath and use the car parks in the Borough, you can sign Attieh's e-petition here.
