Cornwall Council are considering reintroducing an hourly parking tariff for their car parks in Helston, at a rate of 60p.

Whilst the principle is obviously good and may suit many, there is a proposal for the two hourly charge to be raised from £1 to £1.40. 

Even for someone like me whose maths are totally inadequate, I can work out that two 60s make 120 not 140. In the past, some Cornwall Council representatives have claimed that other counties do certain things or have certain things so why should not Cornwall, therefore perhaps Cornwall Council would now like to apply that policy to car park pricing structure. 

Other counties I have visited use a logical and fair pricing procedure, whereby the cost of parking becomes relatively cheaper the longer one stays, as opposed to the disproportionate pricing structure adopted by Cornwall Council. Pricing proportionately would not only encourage one to stay longer and patronise the town more, but could also possibly eliminate all those nice holiday makers from leaving the county with the impression that “Cornwall Council are quite frankly weird.” (Visitors’ words not mine.) 

I have frequently had visitors speak to me in Helston Tyacke Road car park and Kittos Field car park Porthleven and ask where the logic is at Cornwall Council. 

Many of them do as I do and pay the current minimum two hourly fee and return to the car park to repay later, it works out a lot cheaper and affords one more hour of parking; it is not as if the car parks are of great distance from the town centres. 

Currently £1 for two hours, return to pay again, making £2 for four hours, as opposed to £3 for three hours. 

Cornwall Council could still raise the required revenue but by introducing a fair pricing structure. 

Cornwall Council often boast they are leading the way. In this instance with car park pricing they do not need to lead the way, they just need to catch up with the normality of many other councils. 

Gill Zella Martin