STOP 150% PARKING MADNESS - CAMPAIGN LAUNCHED

Local Liberal Democrats have launched a public campaign to stop Mid Sussex District Council's proposed massive rises in local car parking charges. The campaign has its own website with an online petition and posters, car stickers and a paper petition to download.

Serena Tierney, Lib Dem Parliamentary Campaigner, said: "These rises will hit our local businesses, their customers and the people that they employ at a time of recession when they are at their most vulnerable. At a time like this they are entitled to expect support from their local council - not stealth taxes that damage their ability to stay afloat. We want the District Council to adopt a car parking policy which recognises the importance of successful local shops and businesses to the economic well being of the district and its people."

Local people are strongly opposed to these plans. In a survey of local residents carried out by Lib Dem campaigners at the weekend, every single person was against these rises. Traders have already voiced their concerns about the effect on their businesses and the additional cost to the people who work for them as well as their customers.

Councillor Graham Knight, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, added: "Mid Sussex District Council's ruling Tory group initially proposed a huge hike in car parking charges of up to 150%. Lib Dem Councillors have taken every opportunity to oppose them and the Tories have now changed their original proposals to try and make it look as though they are listening to local people. Now the proposed increases are as high as 233%! the Lib Dem group will continue to fight these massive increases."

Serena Tierney added: "Over the last few years the Tories running Mid Sussex have made a complete mess of the public finances with the Big Culture Show, the wheelie bin contract fiasco and the parking meter fiasco. In the good times they have successively sold off our assets and run down the reserves and now there is nothing left so they are trying to raise the money with this stealth tax."

The campaign website is at: http://www.campaigns.libdems.org.uk/parkinghike where you can sign up to show your opposition to these massive increases.

A poster supporting the campaign can be downloaded from the resource section of this site - see the Resources download area of this website.