Camber Businesses Urge Council To Cancel £30 Flat Fee For Parking

The leader of Rother District Council has declined to rule out the return of a controversial ‘flat fee’ for parking at Camber Sands, saying the authority is undertaking a ‘full review’.

At a full council meeting on Monday (September 18), council leader Doug Oliver and cabinet member for tourism Hazel Timpe faced public questions connected with the authority’s decision to charge a £30 flat fee for parking at the Central car park in Camber this past summer. 

The tariffs, which were in place between July 3 and September 1, had come in for significant criticism from residents at the time, who argued it had deterred visitors and harmed businesses. 

Among those to pose questions during the meeting was Sharon Blagrove, a former Bexhill town councillor who had set up a petition calling for an end of the flat fee.

Mrs Blagrove said:

“I haven’t spoken to any trader at all in Camber who were aware of this. It was really foisted on them all of a sudden. Nobody knew much about it and that is why they were very angry.

“This trial has proven beyond doubt to have been detrimental, not only to Camber traders but it also meant a big loss in revenue to RDC. 

“Can you please confirm that in future charges will remain on an hourly basis for that car park … so that the traders don’t have to worry about this happening again?

“I have seen so many people and heard so many people absolutely devastated because of what’s happened. I know that a trial of any kind can go right or it can go wrong. This one I don’t think was beneficial to anybody.”

In response, Cllr Oliver said the council was undertaking a ‘full review’ of the situation and weighing all its options. He did not confirm that charges would remain hourly. 

He said:

“Everything will be considered and officers [are] working on the data that we’ve recovered during this season. 

“It is unfortunate that July was a very bad month, so we take that into account. There is also a cost of living crisis out there, which again may have impacted on things. 

“We are going to look at every possible part of it. It is important that we do so for the benefit of our residents at Camber.”

The exchange followed on from the reading of a written question and answer on the same topic, which had been published ahead of the meeting. 

In his written answer, Cllr Oliver said the flat fee had been introduced as “a result of the wealth of historic public engagement between the council, residents, business owners, and visitors”. He added the flat fee had been introduced as a way of testing its impact on congestion in the area.

The full wording of both the question and answer can be found on the Rother District Council website.  

During the same meeting, Cllr Timpe was asked by local trader James Hyatt whether the council would consider providing financial compensation to businesses in Camber. 

She replied that the council would not as the cost of parking was ‘just one element’ affecting the seasonal businesses, pointing to poor weather conditions as another significant factor.