In April 2013 we started a campaign to protect the Saturday market after the Town Clerk had written to the market traders of this 900 year old independent market telling the there was £100K available from a Revitalisation of Market Towns Grant that was going to be used to ‘ revitalise ‘ the market. This included uniform stalls, more regulation, electric points ( for subsequent parking ????- ed) This rang alarm bells – traders were insistent that markets that has been taken over by local councils had failed.
Over the summer of 2013 we collected nearly 4000 signatures in support of the Saturday market which meant that the campaign headed off the takeover of the market and that the £100K could be used for something else. A steering group was set up and this included Nick Bromley and De Sandy . Previously we had asked residents what the £100K should be used for – in one voice they said ‘ a Park & Ride for Saturdays ‘ and ‘ mend that damn Town Hall Clock’ !!! However ….. The steering group which consisted mainly of councillors and civil servants has different priorities . £50K wa allotted to improving shop fronts…£30K to improve signage …and a mere £20K for a Park &Ride scheme .
Lots of meetings…..more meetings …. The Park and Ride group we’re told that the community bus was a possibility…..a lot of,prevarication. We found a site for the Saturday parking – up at the auction yard at Tasley – negotiated a price for a contract with a local firm for a bus to run from Easter 2014 until the end of September. All looked well.
Then – after a meeting with the very nice people who ran the Community bus service – we found out that they didn’t have the capacity to run the service and anyway all who used their bus had to be named and pay an annual fee. It was a no goer.
It was a kick in the teeth when we were told that we couldn’t use the £20K for ‘capital costs’. This meant we could BUY a bus ( for £20K???) but not pay the driver. Use the money for flyers and posters. it was obvious from the start the civil servants and administrators didn’t want a Park & Ride for Bridgnorth. On reflection they were scared it would be a success and they would be landed with the expense that Shrewsbury has with their Park and Ride which is heavily subsidised. Yet this was a pilot project with a free Park & Ride for the first year. We wanted to test the water- find out if it would work – surely common sense would prevail especially as parking in Bridgnorth over the last few months is atrocious at the best time and on Saturdays its damn near impossible.
What to do now? Could we raise the £8300 needed for a bus contract? Should we set up our own Park & Ride project? What do YOU think!
