Pub/bar owner Shaun Keasey says the increase in Wolverhampton parking costs has really hit trade

5 months ago

We meet a bar owner in Wolverhampton who says his takings and takings of other bar owners is really taking a hit since the car parking charges in the city centre were increased. Shops, banks, restaurants are all effected he says.

Transcript

00:00So we're here in Wolverhampton, Broad Street car park, and longer the day's gone where you could

00:04come to Wolves of an evening and pay £1.50 after five. These are the charges now.

00:12Four hours, six pounds, over four hours, nine. Sean, Sean Keevesy, you've got a few businesses

00:19you look after in the town. Just remind us of which ones those are.

00:22Yeah, we've got Gorgeous Night Club, what is now Pop Zone, and the Royal London at the moment.

00:28So, you know, it's all about nightlife, and we're hearing how there's going to be loads

00:33more people living in the city centre, and it's going to become more and more bustling.

00:37We've got the new bowling alley, new restaurant, Meet Three Planet opens, just opposite Oxfam,

00:42the new cinema. But people don't want to pay these prices, do they? What's your thoughts

00:48on what the council are charging to come to the city centre?

00:52Well, I think the council have killed their own city centre in one fell swoop. I mean,

00:56I'm chair of Pub Watch in the city as well. Only one of our venues operates through the

01:01day, which is the Royal London. But ourselves and other daytime pubs in the city noticed

01:07immediately, as soon as these parking charges went up at the end of last year, the trade

01:12dropped off a cliff.

01:14Yeah.

01:14And it really is pushing our city centre bars and clubs, and by the looks of its shops and

01:19banks, to the limit.

01:21Well, I know I've seen on the socials comments from people who've used the new cinema at the

01:27lighthouse, that, you know, they've been quite surprised at how much they've had to pay to

01:31park. So, let's hope that doesn't affect their trade too much. But I suspect it may do.

01:36What would you like to see different? Would you like to see some kind of return to an evening

01:41entertainment charge? Would that be a...

01:43I'd like to see a general drop in prices. Now, listen, pretty sure we know why the council

01:50put the parking charges up, because the council's finances are maybe in a bit of trouble themselves.

01:56But to try and balance your books based on the back of businesses throughout the city centre

02:00is not, in my opinion, a good thing to do.

02:03Yeah. And, I mean, where do you see the future of Wolverhampton? Are you still waiting for

02:11this influx of people? We were told, you know, building work was meant to be starting in June

02:15on the new Beatties building, and there was going to be apartments on the way, but we've

02:19yet to see that happening. Are you kind of starting to just wonder?

02:22Listen, I've been in and around the city now for years and years and years, and we've seen

02:26various glossy brochures come and go with different developments. But as I've always said,

02:31as chair of Pubwatch, it's the businesses that are here and now that have got to be looked

02:36after, you know. People have put their own money into these businesses, and to abandon

02:41them in the way that the council appear to have, and even tied both of their hands behind

02:46their back with these parking charges. It's cruel.

02:51And it is that four hours barrier. It's one of them, isn't it? I'm sure back in the day

02:56there was a further step, a five to six hours. You know, a lot of people who come to

03:01walls, I think we're going to have a drink, a bike to eat, do a bit of a shop. Chances

03:04are you probably will want just more than four hours. So then you're going into the

03:08£9 bracket here, at kind of one of the major council car parks. You know, when you've got

03:13Bentley Bridge and Maryhill centre down the road, it's just another barrier to getting people

03:18in the city, isn't it?

03:19That's the thing, as you've already said, there's a lovely new cinema that's just been built.

03:23There's lots of bars and clubs. There's the Grand Theatre. But if you're going to come into town

03:28to have a drink with your friends, or a meal or something else, and you've got to spend

03:33£9 of your income, and not just you, if you're all coming in different cars, four friends,

03:39£36 of your income, just parking, are you going to come to Wolverhampton City Centre

03:45to socialise?

03:45Yeah. And you were saying it also impacts staff that are working in these bars that,

03:50you know, previously could park for a few quid in the city centre and kind of walk back,

03:55you know, more safely to the cars, and now they're having to park further out as well.

04:00Yes, it's been brought up in blood watch many times that vulnerable staff, especially females,

04:05are now having to park further away from the businesses, because it literally is not worth

04:11a fair while to work and park in Wolverhampton City Centre, because you'll spend at least

04:17one hour of your wages every night parking. And of course, that wage, in the current cost

04:22of living crisis, has got to be spent on rent, and utilities, and on food, and maybe even

04:28a bit of socialising.

04:29Yeah. So it's your view that it would be worth, even if it was just a test period, you know,

04:37let's do a six-month or a 12-month period where we either take the car park charges away,

04:44or certainly even even, or reduce them, and see, you know, if we can balance out any loss

04:50in parking between, you know, bringing back that vibrancy to the city.

04:55Well, the council have got to do something. They're talking about bringing in ANPR technology,

04:59I believe it's already at the Civic Centre, and maybe coming to this car park on Broad Street

05:04that we're standing in already. But that won't make any difference if the price to park remains

05:09the same. You know, in order to reinvigorate this town, sorry, city centre, not so much at

05:17night, because at night there's no traffic wardens around, and people can tend to park

05:21where they want and not be hassled for it. But through the day, which is the pubs that are

05:27operating and selling food, or trying to sell food, etc., where you would, you know, you would

05:32go and socialise, rather than going out for a dance, etc., that is where the council really

05:39need to show their support for their city centre businesses, and at least, in my opinion,

05:46halve these charges, and if the council finances are in trouble, find a different way of funding

05:52any deficit.

Pub/bar owner Shaun Keasey says the increase in Wolverhampton parking costs has really hit trade

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