West Suffolk Council could put car parking charges in Bury St Edmunds up by as much as 20 per cent

Car parking charges in Bury St Edmunds could rise by as much as 20 per cent as a business leader warns the move is 'in danger of killing the golden goose'.

Alongside West Suffolk Council’s budget proposals, which councillors are due to discuss on Tuesday, the authority has included car parking hikes across Bury by at least 20p.

Mark Cordell, chief executive of the Our Bury St Edmunds Business Improvement District (BID), said the proposals were disappointing at a time when businesses were facing increases in operating costs.

He said: "Bury and our businesses are being penalised due to the anticipated continued success of the town centre.

"All at the BID are very concerned that the council are in danger of killing the golden goose — Bury St Edmunds town centre — for the sake of some short-term income."

According to council papers, charges for Ram Meadow car park, in Cotton Lane, could go up to £3, up from £2.50 for three hours, and £3.50 for an all-day stay, up from £3.

Weekly tickets for the car park would be £10.50, up from £9, while eight weeks would cost £84, up from £72 — for annual season tickets, the proposed hike is almost £80, with the cost increasing from £468 to £546.

On top of this, all short-stay car parking tariffs in Bury St Edmunds town centre would increase by 20p — charges in the Cattlemarket car park, for instance, would be £3.20 for two hours, and £6.20 for four hours.

For drivers wanting to pay for parking via the RingGo mobile app, a 20p charge would be reinstated.

Cllr Cliff Waterman, West Suffolk's leader, said the extra mobile app charge would be optional, with cash and credit card options to remain available.

On increasing charges across the town, he said the council had worked really hard to keep them as low as possible but the authority had seen rising costs over the past few years.

Cllr Waterman said: "It shouldn't have an impact [on footfall and businesses] because Bury St Edmunds is still a very attractive place to come.

"The obvious thing would be to increase charges across the board but we have resisted doing that because we want to shield people from cost of living rises.

"Compared to other nearby towns such as Ipswich and Norwich we’re lots cheaper, and we offer the exceptional Bury St Edmunds experience.

"If you want to come to Bury by car, we welcome you, we are good value for money."

But Mr Cordell warned business price increases as a result of extra pressures, coupled with parking hikes, could be 'the tipping point that stunts the growth of our local economy'.

He added it would be unwise to assume a footfall increase during last year would continue into the future.

The proposed changes also received some criticism from Cllr Beccy Hopfensperger, leader of the opposing Conservative Group, who said they would be another burden during challenging times.

She said: "The Ram Meadow car park is one of the only long-term car parks in Bury and predominantly used by people who work in town, this feels like a tax on the working people, adding to their already rising cost of living.

"We know that the high street and businesses are suffering and are having to make difficult decisions ahead of the [National Insurance] increases in April, making it more expensive to park will deter people from visiting Bury.

"We need to support our residents and businesses in these challenging times and not make things harder for them."

The last time core tariffs were increased by West Suffolk Council was in 2021 under the Conservative-led administration.

Cllr Waterman said the authority was aware of the pressures faced by businesses and was doing as much as it could to alleviate this, including investment in the town centre through, for instance, the market which now had a waiting list.

He added the council would continue some schemes to encourage visitors, including the free 'park and walk' from Olding Road during the weekend, and the free parking after 3pm on Tuesdays.