SO, Malvern traders according to last week’s Gazette are perfectly happy with the new car parking charge structure, and that it is, according to the traders ‘fairer than before’.

Fairer to whom may I ask? I think the poor rate payer is again being penalised.

The increase from £15 to £25 of the annual parking permit is a scandalous disregard of the people who live and pay council tax in the Malvern area.

Did the car park working group consult the rate payers? Or were the committee merely there to come up with a plan to appease the retailers of the town.

The cost of the annual permit has risen over the years and we have happily paid the increases as they appear to have been in line with inflation, but an increase of 66.6 per cent is an insult.

This is a clear message to the rate payer that they are being sacrificed to the interests of local businesses.

The retail decline in Malvern just could be laid at the door of the bright spark who decided to build the Retail Park on Madresfield road, where I don’t have to remind anyone that the parking is free.

The Retail Park on a Saturday afternoon more often than not is full to capacity, maybe just maybe there is the clue, free parking.

MHDC have just lost the revenue from our parking permit as this increase is nothing to do with inflation, more local government politics.
BOB AMATT
Castlemorton