Elgin parking charge plea rejected

A PLEA for a further cut in the parking charges in Elgin has been rejected.

Councillors have voted 10-2 against the move.

Only Elgin Councillors John Russell and John Divers backed a proposal to charge just £2 for 2-4 hours parking in the city centre.

That followed a move last year to slash the cost of parking to just £1 for up to two hours, compared to £2 previously. It currently costs £3 to park for up to four hours.

"I firmly believe that high parking charges are detrimental to economic activity in Elgin in relation to retailers and other businesses," said Councillor Russell.

Elgin Business Improvement District (BID) had campaigned for reduced parking charges after a report by its manager Jacqui Taylor pointed to an adverse impact on businesses.

Depute convener Allan Wright said the decision to cut the charge to £1 had been made on the hoof and he was averse to making another decision in similar fashion.

Mrs Taylor said she was disappointed by the councillors' decision.

"I am very disappointed they haven't seen fit to reduced the charges further when the initial evidence is that £1 for two hours has had an impact.

"We are the only town in Moray to pay for parking and it is cheaper to park in Inverness than Elgin," she added.