THE Forest of Dean District Council is being urged to drop car parking charges in Mitcheldean when it meets to discuss the issue this Thursday (January 17).

"On behalf of local residents, visitors and traders, Mitcheldean Parish Council urges the District Council Cabinet to accept the recommendation of full District Council that car parking charges be removed from Mitcheldean at once," a parish council spokesman states.

He adds: "The key issue is the actual gain to FODDC coffers against the loss to Mitcheldean retail businesses, and the wider impact on village life both currently and in the future.

"Users of the doctor's surgery and the library now have to pay to use these otherwise free services, and there are real irritations and potential dangers from increased on-street parking."

The spokesman says written answers at a Cabinet meeting in April 2012 suggested an income from Mitcheldean net of VAT of £9,140, against estimated collection and enforcement costs of only £1,065.

This despite a Forest-wide projection at the same meeting of £72,990 for total back office and enforcement costs – as one of only ten car parks with charging, Mitcheldean might have been thought to be responsible for 10 per cent of accounting and enforcement costs, rather than just 1.5 per cent.

"There have been many confusing sets of figures issued over time, which have used different headings. The actual income from Mitcheldean during 2012/3 could be as low as £5,000, which set against 10 per cent of the budgeted costs in April (in the absence of actual cost figures) could mean Mitcheldean car park is actually running at a loss," the spokesman says.

"Even if a net gain of £8,075 were to be achieved from Mitcheldean (which seems most unlikely), it would pale into insignificance against a loss to the Mitcheldean butchers of 12-15 per cent of turnover, and measured footfall reduction at the newsagents (these being two of the only four retail businesses in the centre of the village) since the charges came in from July 1.

"Mitcheldean traders have clearly lost more in the first month of charging than FODDC will gain in the whole year – and possibly more in the very first week. Local businesses cannot be expected to sustain these losses indefinitely. Mitcheldean is simply too small for parking charges."

Mitcheldean Parish Council has also offered to discuss taking over the car park management, which would make genuine savings for the District Council at no loss to the traders or village life and without putting up local rates, which is the District Council's own policy.