Bring back Free Parking across Redcar & Cleveland
Bring back Free Parking across Redcar & Cleveland
The Issue
We the undersigned call on Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) to appeal to the Tees Valley Mayor, Lord Houchen, to commit the necessary funding from the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) to provide two-hour free parking for all of Redcar & Cleveland’s, Short Stay High Street car parking as per the original offer. This action will significantly help support local businesses by encouraging trade and make it easier for residents and visitors to shop.
As residents of Redcar & Cleveland (R&C) we are deeply concerned about the current parking situation for our High Streets. Our local businesses are struggling, and our residents and visitors are being deterred from shopping due to the reintroduction of parking charges. However, all our Tory MPs can do is play politics instead of requesting the necessary funding needed from the TVCA, who as the Transport Authority receive ALL the transport funding.
The Tees Valley has recently been promised close to a billion pounds in transport funding following the government’s failed HS2 project. All of that government funding is received by the TVCA for the whole of the Tees Valley, such has been the case since devolution was established in April 2016.
The TVCA allocate and distribute a set amount of this funding to each of the five borough councils. Currently, not enough of this funding is being provided by the TVCA to RCBC to allow them to offer the free parking to continue. Despite this the Council has kept the free parking offer running for a further eight months, to cover the Christmas period, as announced in July 2023. Redcar & Cleveland requested support to continue free parking but were turned down by the Tees Valley Mayor, Lord Houchen.
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23708065.ben-houchen-blasted-rude-response-redcar-parking/
8th August 2023
Sadly, instead of sincerely trying to help businesses and the High Streets, by calling on the Tees Valley Mayor to fairly fund the council, the current Tory MPs Jacob Young and Simon Clarke are using the situation to deliberately mislead residents by attacking the council.
They know full well that the TVCA, receives ALL the transport funding and that RCBC not only relies on this allocation but has had to prudentially borrow £7m to make up for the shortfall in the transport funding provided, in order to keep services going.
Lord Houchen needs reminding of his 2020 manifesto promise to fund high street parking of which he vowed to “offer a minimum of at least three hours free parking in ALL of the region’s town centres.”
Recent headline grabbing announcements in the press by Lord Houchen, includes a £1m feasibility study for a tunnel across the Tees and a Teesside Park railway/bus station. He has not declared any of the £1 billion of funding in consideration of extending the free parking offer to support struggling businesses and “vibrant and thriving high streets”.
He previously said,
“Our high streets need all the support they can get. Local business are the lifeblood of our area and they need a helping hand. I will do just that - I will help them by delivering free town centre parking across Stockton, Middlesbrough, Darlington, Hartlepool and Redcar. Free parking will make it easier, cheaper and more convenient for people to use our high streets and town centres, supporting our amazing local businesses in the process.”
“Everyone across our region deserves a vibrant and thriving high street that can still flourish in the age of online shopping. My plan to make parking free across Teesside’s town centres, plus the millions of pounds I have secured from central Government for our high streets, will help to achieve this.”
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/ben-houchen-pledges-free-town-17556677 13th January 2020
He also said,
“Nobody likes paying for parking and it is one of the main reasons I constantly hear as to why people aren’t shopping in town centres. By making it free, we can increase the number of people visiting our high streets and therefore increase their spending, boost our economy and help support jobs.
“It has been an incredibly sad sight to see shops, cafes and businesses closed in our high streets this year, and as we come out of the other side from the pandemic next year, we don’t want these sights to remain, so it is vital we do everything we can to help them.
“Everyone across our region deserves a vibrant and thriving high street that can still flourish in the age of online shopping. They are the lifeblood of our area and introducing free parking can help make them an even more dynamic and vibrant place to live and do business.”
27th November 2020
What followed was a limited time offer, in a limited number of car parks in Redcar and Guisborough and was funded from Covid funding and not “the millions of pounds … secured from central Government for our high streets”.
We want to remind the Tees Valley Mayor of his words and how much this offer matters to him. We want to say to our MPs, stop playing games and if you really care, write to the Tees Valley Mayor and ask for the funding which adequately covers ALL R&C, Short Stay High Street car parking.
It's time we held those responsible accountable for their actions - or lack thereof - towards supporting our community. It’s time to recognize the TVCA as the receiver and distributor of the council’s transport funding. It’s time to call on the Tees Valley Mayor to make good his 2020 manifesto promise to support High Street shopping. Let us remind them that their role is not just about politics but also about serving their constituents' needs.
Please sign this petition urging Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council to take action now!
1,604
The Issue
We the undersigned call on Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council (RCBC) to appeal to the Tees Valley Mayor, Lord Houchen, to commit the necessary funding from the Tees Valley Combined Authority (TVCA) to provide two-hour free parking for all of Redcar & Cleveland’s, Short Stay High Street car parking as per the original offer. This action will significantly help support local businesses by encouraging trade and make it easier for residents and visitors to shop.
As residents of Redcar & Cleveland (R&C) we are deeply concerned about the current parking situation for our High Streets. Our local businesses are struggling, and our residents and visitors are being deterred from shopping due to the reintroduction of parking charges. However, all our Tory MPs can do is play politics instead of requesting the necessary funding needed from the TVCA, who as the Transport Authority receive ALL the transport funding.
The Tees Valley has recently been promised close to a billion pounds in transport funding following the government’s failed HS2 project. All of that government funding is received by the TVCA for the whole of the Tees Valley, such has been the case since devolution was established in April 2016.
The TVCA allocate and distribute a set amount of this funding to each of the five borough councils. Currently, not enough of this funding is being provided by the TVCA to RCBC to allow them to offer the free parking to continue. Despite this the Council has kept the free parking offer running for a further eight months, to cover the Christmas period, as announced in July 2023. Redcar & Cleveland requested support to continue free parking but were turned down by the Tees Valley Mayor, Lord Houchen.
https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/23708065.ben-houchen-blasted-rude-response-redcar-parking/
8th August 2023
Sadly, instead of sincerely trying to help businesses and the High Streets, by calling on the Tees Valley Mayor to fairly fund the council, the current Tory MPs Jacob Young and Simon Clarke are using the situation to deliberately mislead residents by attacking the council.
They know full well that the TVCA, receives ALL the transport funding and that RCBC not only relies on this allocation but has had to prudentially borrow £7m to make up for the shortfall in the transport funding provided, in order to keep services going.
Lord Houchen needs reminding of his 2020 manifesto promise to fund high street parking of which he vowed to “offer a minimum of at least three hours free parking in ALL of the region’s town centres.”
Recent headline grabbing announcements in the press by Lord Houchen, includes a £1m feasibility study for a tunnel across the Tees and a Teesside Park railway/bus station. He has not declared any of the £1 billion of funding in consideration of extending the free parking offer to support struggling businesses and “vibrant and thriving high streets”.
He previously said,
“Our high streets need all the support they can get. Local business are the lifeblood of our area and they need a helping hand. I will do just that - I will help them by delivering free town centre parking across Stockton, Middlesbrough, Darlington, Hartlepool and Redcar. Free parking will make it easier, cheaper and more convenient for people to use our high streets and town centres, supporting our amazing local businesses in the process.”
“Everyone across our region deserves a vibrant and thriving high street that can still flourish in the age of online shopping. My plan to make parking free across Teesside’s town centres, plus the millions of pounds I have secured from central Government for our high streets, will help to achieve this.”
https://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/ben-houchen-pledges-free-town-17556677 13th January 2020
He also said,
“Nobody likes paying for parking and it is one of the main reasons I constantly hear as to why people aren’t shopping in town centres. By making it free, we can increase the number of people visiting our high streets and therefore increase their spending, boost our economy and help support jobs.
“It has been an incredibly sad sight to see shops, cafes and businesses closed in our high streets this year, and as we come out of the other side from the pandemic next year, we don’t want these sights to remain, so it is vital we do everything we can to help them.
“Everyone across our region deserves a vibrant and thriving high street that can still flourish in the age of online shopping. They are the lifeblood of our area and introducing free parking can help make them an even more dynamic and vibrant place to live and do business.”
27th November 2020
What followed was a limited time offer, in a limited number of car parks in Redcar and Guisborough and was funded from Covid funding and not “the millions of pounds … secured from central Government for our high streets”.
We want to remind the Tees Valley Mayor of his words and how much this offer matters to him. We want to say to our MPs, stop playing games and if you really care, write to the Tees Valley Mayor and ask for the funding which adequately covers ALL R&C, Short Stay High Street car parking.
It's time we held those responsible accountable for their actions - or lack thereof - towards supporting our community. It’s time to recognize the TVCA as the receiver and distributor of the council’s transport funding. It’s time to call on the Tees Valley Mayor to make good his 2020 manifesto promise to support High Street shopping. Let us remind them that their role is not just about politics but also about serving their constituents' needs.
Please sign this petition urging Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council to take action now!
1,604
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Petition created on 8 January 2024