Surrey County Council - suspend your new Green Space parking charges NOW!

The COVID pandemic showed us the  importance of access to green spaces for our physical and mental wellness.

And now we are in the midst of a cost-of-livving crisis with inflation heading for over 10%, fuel close to £2/ litre and energy costs rocketing. Even more people are having to choose between which bills to pay and what food to buy.

Against this background of increasing costs and rising anxiety,, Surrey County Council have brought in new parking charges for Windsor Great Park and Virginia Water. These charges present a serious obstacle for many families to visit the parks, just at the time we need to be able de-stress and stay healthy.

As a Runnymede Borough Councillor, I have been contacted by numerous park visitors ( some now ex-visitors) to express their frustration and anger at the new charges. Hence this petition to get something done to improve the situation 

So we call upon SCC to

1. Suspend the new charges with immediate effect
2. Commit to a review of the situation in 6 months' time
3. Consider alternatives to better manage parking issues around the parks

(To be fair, the new charges were decided on at the end of 2021 and before any of us realised how bad things would get. But SCC can still do the right thing to help families in Surrey and beyond in this time of crisis)