This week we have a couple of fairly meaty stories on the front page of each edition.
In our Holderness & East Riding edition, for instance, we look at the issue of car parking charges which has raised its head again after a report on the issue was submitted to East Riding Council.
Somewhat predictably, it’s caused a bit of a clamour, especially in Hedon, which currently has four free car parks. People there are naturally worried about the impact on local trade if charges were to be introduced, with some saying it would be the “final nail in the coffin”.
As there’s a mayoral election coming up, it seems to me that this has also been turned into a bit of a political issue, making it a bit hard to separate the spin from what’s really going on here.
Some have directly accused East Riding Council of plotting to bring in car parking fees in Hedon in a bid to raise revenue, but Sean McMaster, the councillor who submitted the report, tells us this is not the case. He says the aim of the review is to update the current policy to make it easier for people to have their say in the future.
It’s understandable that people might have a degree of cynicism about such an assurance, and if parking charges do end up being brought in, then they will have the right to say, “I told you so.”
But the council is saying that won’t happen without a great deal of public consultation – and that’s where the public and local businesses must do their bit. Have your say, get involved.
Speaking of local businesses, regular readers will know I say this quite a lot but it bears repeating: the Gazette is a small local business, too. This week I had someone hang up on me fairly swiftly after I said it would cost a tenner to advertise a high-ticket item in the miscellaneous sales (I’m talking over £1,500).
We really aren’t out to rob people, I can assure you – we need income just as other businesses do and we try to keep our rates as affordable as we possibly can. If we wanted to be rich, we wouldn’t be in this business, that’s for sure!
We’re a small team of local people working extremely hard, every week, to bring you local news and help you promote your businesses and events. It’s tough out there at the moment, and it may well get tougher – and we really do understand what it’s like.