Pictured: Roy Dixon
A Leamington Spa dentist is the latest local business owner to
criticise Warwickshire County Council for increasing the cost of
short stay on-street parking charges by up to fifty per cent. And
to help his patients overcome it he is offering to refund the
charges to them when they visit his surgery.
Leamington's Chamber of Trade recently called on the Council to
bring down the charges, warning that local shops may not be able to
survive if people went out of town to shop in order to avoid the
charges. But Roy Dixon, who runs the Augusta Dental Centre in
Augusta Place, is more concerned about the costs being unfair to
local residents who have no choice but to go into the town for
essential services such as visiting the dentist.
"Everyone is feeling the effects of the situation," says Mr
Dixon, "but I particularly worried for my patients who are having
to pay more to park their car when they come for treatment or a
check-up. Because of this situation, for the foreseeable future,
any patient coming to the Augusta Dental Centre will get the cost
of 2 hours parking refunded."
"There are three car parks in close proximity to the practice
and the offer will apply to all of them. If patients are only with
us for half an hour and want to do a bit of shopping as well whilst
they are in town, then they can."
The County Council announced in April that it was aiming to
raise £1.5 million through increased parking charges. In some
instances the increase for on-road parking has risen by
50%.