Hereford BID slams council's lack of clarity on Christmas parking

Hereford BID (business improvement district) said it has failed to get clarity on the issue from Herefordshire Council, which oversees most city car parks and charged on-street parking, “despite repeated requests over the past two years”.

Shops, cafés and other businesses need to plan staffing, opening hours, marketing and Christmas activity well in advance, the group said – and it has recently made the case to the council on the benefits of supporting the seasonal trading peak.

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“We fully appreciate the significant financial pressures facing the Council and recognise that difficult decisions have to be made,” the BID’s chief executive Mike Truelove said.

“However, our job is to champion city-centre businesses, and they need certainty much earlier than the 11th hour.

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“Businesses are understandably continuing to ask us what the arrangements will be, but unfortunately we still cannot give them an answer.”

The BID itself is also impacted by the uncertainty.

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“We have had to delay printing promotional material because we cannot confirm the parking offer, and it is now too late for us to responsibly commit resources to entertainment across the late-night Wednesdays,” he said.

With trips into the city increasingly concentrated in the immediate pre-Christmas period, BID “will create a fantastic experience for visitors and support our businesses at this crucial trading time” on the weekend before Christmas, Mr Truelove added.

His criticisms were put to Herefordshire Council, from whom a response is awaited.