Ayrshire’s view Parking change hits residents

It’s incredibly generous and thoughtful of South Ayrshire Council to suspend the weekend charges for council car parks and on street parking over the festive period in an effort to encourage more people to shop in the town.

However, while some may think this is a laudable gesture which will help businesses struggling to survive, the council doesn’t seem to have given any thought as to how free weekend parking will affect those of us living in the centre of the town. In fact, what it could well do is encourage us to do our shopping at Silverburn or Braehead where parking is always free!

Weekends are when most people are off work and, naturally, want to be able to park reasonably close to where they live. As there are already insufficient spaces for the number of resident’s permits issued, this is becoming increasingly difficult in Dalblair Road, without us now having to vie for spaces with out of town shoppers who will be able to park free of charge for the next four weekends.

My husband has a resident’s parking permit for his car but, with spaces in the street at a premium, I park mine in Barns Crescent Car Park which costs £ 156 plus VAT for a quarterly permit or £ 432 plus VAT for an annual one, with no guarantee of a space. I’ve just renewed my permit and was laughed at when I asked if there would be a rebate because parking would be free for 10 days out of the 89 days which my quarterly permit covered.

Incidentally, a Type A Resident’s Parking Permit for Zone 3 costs £ 50 a year, while residents living in nearby Barns Crescent, the majority of which is designated as RESIDENTS ONLY between 10.00 and 17.00 every day, pay a one- off charge of 50p for a Type B permit. How fair is that?

During a consultation about parking in Ayr, carried out by the Ayrshire Roads Alliance several years ago, I put forward some suggestions which I thought would make parking fairer for those living in the centre of the town. Several of my ideas were well received by Blair Wylie who was then in charge, although he admitted he couldn’t guarantee that all my suggestions could or would be implemented. My proposals included installing parking meters in Miller Road and Barns Crescent, which would mean a greater number of spaces available to residents living in Zone 3, giving a discount to residents buying a permit for the Barns Crescent car park, ( there was already a precedent for a discounted rate as a quarterly permit for the council’s Charlotte Street car park costs only £ 72 plus VAT and an annual one £ 240 plus VAT), and allocating some spaces in the Barns Crescent car park for permit holders. However, several years later, someone else is in charge of the Ayrshire Roads Alliance and nothing has changed.

We’re not asking for preferential treatment, just some consideration. Unlike some people, my husband and I always park responsibly and considerately and, if there isn’t a space in Dalblair Road, we don’t park on double yellow lines, on the pavement or in one of several car parks in the street which are owned by local businesses. Instead, look for a space in one of the other streets in Zone 3 - ie Alloway Street, Parkhouse Street, Kyle Street, Mill Street, Mill Wynd and Smith Street - none of which, I think you’ll agree, are at all convenient especially if we’re carrying shopping or other heavy items.

However, over the next few weekends, if we move our cars from either the street or the car park in the morning, unless we stay out for the whole day which, not unreasonably, we don’t always want to do, it’s unlikely we’ll be able to find a space anywhere even remotely close to the house when we return. Of course, I suppose we could always pay to park in one of the town’s many private car parks! I have been self- employed and an employer since I was 17 and I am now 61.

In that time I have never had sick line. My secretary is 56 and my manager is 45 and both have never had a sick line. Both have been offered sick lines but both felt it unnecessary,

The questions I would like to ask is this - Why are doctors writing sick lines willie nilly?

Nowadays the employer does not get the sick pay paid back and at a cost of £ 88.45 a week for a period up to 28 weeks plus holidays accumulating while on the sick and then having to cover that position is a high cost on business.

This costs the employer £ 2,476.60 plus the shift that has to be covered - £ 3696 - and holiday pay of £ 330.

I am not saying people are not entitled to a sick line, but that it is too easy to be given a sick line.

These are examples of what has been handed in to my office - depression, stress, acute anxiety, anxiousness, chronic depression, stress of family illness, generalised anxiety disorder, tiredness and depressive episode.

My point is employers do not get this month back and if this was coming out of the doctor’s practice budget would they be writing these lines as frequently.

Some people are unwilling now to start up a business due to this hidden cost. A real shame as there are plenty of opportunites out there to create jobs. I live in the old Belmont area in the town.

Contrary to recent stories in your paper, the guys who are carrying out the Virgin Media fibre installation are the most efficient team of ground workers that I’ve seen in my 40 odd years in the construction/ electrical industry.

People want progress without upset - get into the real world. You don’t get ought for nought. The Activities Group of Troon Community Council wish to thank most sincerely all the townspeople who turned out to see, watch and take part in Wintertainment, to enjoy the various activities, to see the Christmas Tree Lights switched on, to see the newly restored Beacon lit and to join in the carol singing.

The weather was great and it was a wonderful turnout, and so good to get so much support from so many people to make the day such a success.

There are too many people to thank, but they include Troon BB Pipe Band, Girls Brigade, Karalyn Bell School of Dance, Marina View Nursery, Tony Peters’ lorry and Troon Rotary and Round Table.

I would also mention Troon School of Dance and the ladies who provided the soup, hot drinks and eats and Frances Carson and her singers.

And Beautiful Bodies for doing the Nails for the Queen and Princess, Blueberrys for the lovely afternoon tea; Flower Shed, Monkton, for Flowers for the Provost and Corsages for the Queen and Princess.

There are of course many others, but far too many for the Ayrshire Post to print.

Here’s to next year’s Wintertainment - Sunday, November 19. In the heady, good old days back in 2007 the Scottish government of the day promised to get rid of the unfair council tax and replace this with a much fairer local income tax.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard they tried, it just wouldn’t change enough to be markedly different from the dreaded poll tax that the Conservatives introduced back when Labour ruled Scotland. We all remember what happened to that exercise in encouraging the local population to contribute to local council budget!

So, our government, in an exercise to raise money for education have decided that the council tax is the ideal way to raise the extra cash. This time though they will ensure that the tax will be done in a “fair and reasonable way” so that only those living in the more expensive homes i. e. those who have the higher incomes, will pay the most.

In the simplistic way of the SNP it is obvious that those living in the higher banded council tax houses are the rich who can afford to buy these properties.

Unfortunately, those of us who have moved into our homes in South Ayrshire from approx. 20 years ago have had the privilege of paying a higher band of council tax than those of our neighbours living in similar homes in the street purely because of the increase in house values over the intervening years pushed new purchasers into a higher banding. Most of us probably didn’t know at the time that council tax band allocated to our new home had to be queried within a few months of moving in or we would be left with the honour of paying hundreds of pounds a year extra for our council services.

Obviously, given that there is a marked change in how council tax is to be administered, that is, a flat increase over the existing charge plus a wee bit extra for the rich in the higher banded homes, it would be “fair and reasonable” if the government of the day carried out a review of house valuation to ensure that all home owners paid the correct amount of council tax based on an up to date value of their homes.

Unfortunately, given the present government’s aversion to making changes that will provoke disquiet, one assumes that nothing will change this present council tax banding anomaly and myself and others in this position will continue to pay extra and this is neither fair or reasonable.