I appreciate it’s very tempting to take a pop at car parking charges. However, both your editorial writer, and the Conservative politician from Bicester who is going to stand in the General Election in Oxford, seem to have got rather muddled.

City centre car park charges are not scheduled to increase – in spite of the city council spending several million pounds building a temporary car park while the Westgate is replaced. The only changes are to suburban car parks. Your editorial writer also suggested park-and-ride was not immune from increases – yet (unless the county council proposes an increase) no such increase is planned this year.

It is an interesting experiment to think what would happen if car park charges were suddenly reduced to zero. There would be a gap of over £4m in the council budget (equivalent to a rise of around 35 per cent in council tax). There would have to be huge service cuts as a result (since such a council tax rise would not be possible).

I predict there would also be gridlock in the city centre, as people gave up on park and ride in favour of driving in. And, of course, it would be a huge subsidy to tourists, paid for by Oxford’s residents.

Cllr Ed Turner Deputy Leader Oxford City Council

Today’s letters

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