LIBERATION DAY organisers’ fears that they might in future face a bill because of paid parking have been allayed. But any commercial events still look like facing an extra charge.
The Environment Department expects to introduce payment in Town by the end of the year.
Culture and Leisure events group head Deputy Mike O’Hara was concerned by a letter from Environment about reimbursing the revenue lost when events take place.
Environment minister David De Lisle said: ‘Clearly, if the funding for the traffic strategy is to come from paid parking, then any action which impacts on the revenue received undermines the department’s ability to deliver the strategy.
‘Events which remove any long-term parking spaces and hence result in lost revenue do, therefore, present an area of concern. However, it has never been the department’s intention to seek recompense for the lost revenue resulting from non-commercial activities such as Liberation Day or charitable events.’
Environment has again been directed to look at extending payment for parking outside Town.
Deputy O’Hara raised his concerns during last week’s States debate.
‘Say it costs £70,000 for Liberation Day - £4,000 or £5,000 might have to go to replacing car parking fees. It’s absolutely idiotic that one department charges another,’ said Deputy O’Hara.
It was not just Liberation Day but those either side on which North Beach would need to be closed to set up and dismantle event equipment, he added.
Deputy O’Hara said such events did a lot of good for the island.
‘They put a lot of smiles on faces,’ he said.
‘It takes a lot to organise these things. Most of them are public-private partnerships - imagine how the sponsor would feel if another States department was adding another cost - it just does not seem right.’
Deputy O’Hara felt that introducing paid parking meant Guernsey would have lost a little more of its identity.
Article posted on 5th April, 2007 - 12.00am
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