Crawley Borough Council recently concluded a public consultation on parking. It is not a surprise telling people they may have to pay for their parking is not going to be popular, but we can genuinely say as a council that we listened and acted responsively to what we were told. As a result, the decision has changed substantially from the original proposals.
It was a mildly surreal experience to be told by so many apparent experts on social media with such confidence that we had already made our minds up. In fact, it was quite the reverse. Having seen public consultations done elsewhere, particularly at West Sussex County Council, I have always made it a point of principle never to be predetermined.
We always knew whatever would be required at K2 Crawley would be complex. The consultation on how this was done was purely exploratory, with no formal charging proposal ever made. However, the feedback was clear: the public reaction to any charging at K2 was unfavourable.
The car park at K2 regularly experiences congestion, safety issues, and pressure on capacity. Instead, the council will explore non-charging controls to improve safety and ensure that users can access this site.
With regards to The Hawth, valid points were raised about the risk of delays caused by payment processes, especially for performances with strict entry times. There’s also a concern that charges could deter attendance. Given these sensitivities, we’ll continue working closely with the operator to explore a solution that protects the theatre’s operations while addressing parking needs.
The proposals for Orchard Street multi-storey have proved popular, with the large majority supporting us implementing the low rate of parking, all day, for three pounds.
At the end of all this, the Crawley Conservatives made outrageous claims that their petition forced a change in direction, but I can say with absolute certainty no one at the council saw this petition, and they hadn’t submitted it to the council, before the decisions were taken.
What we did take into account were the submissions given directly to the council during the public consultation period. The Tories claiming they changed this is not only untrue, it is some of the most shameless political opportunism I have witnessed in my time in local government!
Indeed, residents who did sign their “petition” might rightly wonder what will be done with their personal data harvested from the so-called “campaign” by the local Tory party.
Cllr Michael Jones
Leader, Crawley Borough Council