This isn't going to be too well reasoned- I am incandescant!!!!

Not happy with making chaos with the parking in Warwick, and messing about with the through traffic, the County council want to bring congestion charging to Warwick!!! ITS INSANITY!!! If the charges come, I am going. Simple as that. What planet are the County council on, that they would even consider it? AAAAARRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

I take it you dont like the idea then

Not a fan, no..... Also, they are starting a scheme for the shops to reinburse people for the roadside parking costs.. Genius. We aren't allowed to park there, and we have to pay other people to park outside our shops. You couldn't make it up.

It sounds like your council has a very warped idea of how to run things.

Currently, I am considering banning all council employees form my shop. Obviously thats office staff only- got nothing against people who work for a living

I am so glad I dont have a shop any more.

I used to get so shirty at so many things expected from traders in our town.
One example---
Every year we have a Lord Mayors ball--a charity do at something like £40 a go, and every year shopkeepers were 'requested' to contribute prizes for their tombola and raffles.
I found out that 40 or 50 tickets were given ,free of charge to many of the bigwigs on the council---including the Mayor and his family--people who could readily afford one--I refused-vehemently- by letter.
I did have a letter back saying they were 'sorry I could not afford it, and it was not intended to sound compulsory', ---quite missing my point ,deliberately I am sure.
Another time Iwas asked to contribute at a 'very reduced cost' £50 to have flower baskets on the lamp post outside the shop for their entry into Britain in Bloom, which they would water at the end of every day. I refused. However they did put one up and every year afterwards, and at Christmas, even though each year I ingnored their letters. I never had to pay, but my goodness what a mess they made watering. Each morning we had to sweep up flower heads and debris, and wash the streaky windows.
It was not deliberate, but at 5.30 the workmen wanted to go home and didn't take much care. I must say though that they were very attractive and must have cost a fortune.
Local councils----jokers

Always dreaming up new ways to part people from their money.

Chillitt, calm down - it won't happen, it's just some stupid (newly elected) politico trying to make the front pages of the local paper (which she did) and there is no chance of it ging ahead in the forseeable future.
Much more worrying is what will happen in September when all the 'part-time' council workers return to Shire hall and the schools go back. Then the new council money-making parking scheme will really show us the sort of trade downturn that we will have to cope with. We could all be closed long before a congestion charge comes in!!

I know its most unlikely that the congestion charge will ever come to warwick, But this sounds like another one of those 'tell em something truly awful is going to happen, then they will be sooo grateful when we only do em over a little bit' ideas. Any council (or councillor)that would even consider this should be declared unfit for office.
The Decriminalised parking is probably the ' getting done over a little bit' part of the plan. I hope no one comes into my shop wanting their parking paid for because thats as silly an idea as the congestion charge.

( I have calmed down, but there's only so calm I can get, when it might well lead to me being out of a job )

From a traders point of view it is really important that you keep a day-by-day comparison of takings this year and in previous years. If, as we all suspect, takings fall we may well have a case for compensation from the local council and would almost certainly be due a rebate on our UBR.
After long, long consultation (these council workers are soooooooooo slow) this decrim is going to happen. Now we have to bite the bullet and fight back if they ruin our businesses.
Just as a footnote - it is well known that most of the illegal parking around the town is by traders! who then moan when their customers can't park and business is bad. In that respect we might actually gain some potential customers.

I quite liked the parking how it was a couple of years back.. free parking down by the race course. All the traders parked down there out of the way. Simple solutions are often best...
But no, houses had to be built there and a few thousand more between there and the A46, and suprise suprise heres too much traffic.. go figure.

Yes, I quite agree, there is far, far to much traffic and it is ruining the town and making our lives noisy, polluted and stressful. But on the up side more houses mean more people and that equals more potential customers - and at a time when the multiples seem hell-bent on complete domination that could work to our advantage because if we have what they need on their doorstep they will think twice about going to the hell-hole 'out-of-town' shopping chaos.
But I digress! We have to deal with what we have and decrim will happen - congestion charging won't, or not for a very long time anyway.

Just an update of the incompetence of our county council.
Apparently the ticket machines were meant to be solar-powered but someone at county forgot to order the solar panels; so now, because they are battery operated, the batteries are running down (what a surprise!) and they have been linked up to the mains power but now the hopeless county council are arguing with the district council about who will pay to switch the machine from battery to mains. Who is paying for this monumental cock up? We, the poor taxpayers, are!
The sooner the county council is absorbed in to a regional council the better - they will do far less damage!

Another update. Talking to a parking attendant, he admitted that most of the machines were still not linked to the mains (and the batteries are flat) and that they cannot attract enough wardens. You couldn't make this sort of incompetence up - unless it's WCC, in which case it's expected!

Free parking then!

I would have thought that would make the citizens and traders of Warwick happy for a bit.

....apparently not though, it seems.

Not unhappy at all - we wanted this parking scheme, just a pity it's been implemented by a totally incompentent county council! Only unhappy because it's cost loads of our money and they can't even order the solar panels for a few parking machines. And will anyone be held to account - err No!! Anyway, much more concerned about the wretched mop ruining the place. But they go tomorrow - BIG smiles!!