Parking charge suspension 'not appropriate' for Fife town, says councillor

Parking charges across the Kingdom were suspended by Fife Council on Monday, following the imposition of new lockdown restrictions.

However, Councillor Dominic Nolan argued that the changes do not suit St Andrews.

He said: “Scrapping parking charges may work for some areas but it’s not appropriate for St Andrews.

“We have already seen last year that without proper parking enforcement St Andrews comes to a standstill.

“We’ve all had a difficult year but if there is little turnover of people making use of these spaces the threat posed to the town centre goes far beyond lost income.”

Waiting restrictions have also been lifted to support key workers and encourage people to visit local businesses as and when it is safe to do so.

Fife Council had previously suspended parking charges between April and August during the first lockdown.

Derek Crowe, senior manager for transportation and roads services, told the policy and co-ordination committee last week: “We’re intending to keep some car parking staff in operation which was a lesson learned from last time.”

However, the move is likely to create a larger dent in Fife’s already damaged coffers.

The council has a £73m Covid bill to contend with, which it is £11m short of paying for – and the financial hole could grow over time.

Parking fees typically bring in as much as £200,000 a month but it is thought that the suspension of charges will lead to a loss of £60,000 in income a month owing to a drop in use during lockdown.