07/02/15 - Car Parking Petition update and the cost of Rail Fares
Burgess Hill Labour Party thanks all of the 1500 residents who signed our petition calling on Mid Sussex District Council to provide 3 hours free parking in the town car parks
The District Council debated our petition at their meeting on 17 December but disgracefully decided merely to note the petition and take no further action. Councillors said that people will sign any petition for a ‘free lunch’ but this ignores the strength of feeling in the town. They said that traders did not want changes to the car parking arrangement—in which case why did so many small traders sign the petition?
Burgess Hill Labour Party will continue to campaign for improvements for Burgess Hill to improve car parking, encourage people to visit our town and reduce the amount of car parking in residential roads.
Rail Fares continue to be in the news
On January 2nd, rail fares went up by an average of 2.5%, taking the total rise since the last election to 27%. Then on 19 January, Southern put up the cost of station car parks by 4.5%—a double whammy for commuters, who are more likely to leave their cars in residential roads to avoid the station car park charges. And the reliability of trains through Burgess Hill is nothing to write home about either, with one particular train not arriving in London on time once during 2014.
Every New Year, passengers are forced to pay the price of the failed privatization of our railways. The Conservatives, who have recently sold off the successful publicly owned East Coast railway line, think the increases are simply the price we have to pay.
But Trades Union Congress research has revealed that those travelling on the UK rail network pay higher fares and a higher proportion of their salary than those on publicly owned railways elsewhere in Europe. Commuters in the UK can be expected to spend 17% of their salary on rail fares, while in Germany the figure is 9% and in Spain and Italy just 6%.
David Andrews, Leader of the Labour Group on Burgess Hill Town Council, says “Locally the Conservatives dismissed the parking petition, which was supported by many of their own supporters and by many local traders. Nationally the Conservatives continue to push up the cost of rail travel whilst refusing to accept that the public sector runs services better and cheaper than private operators.”