SHORT-TERM politics displayed at Worthing Town Hall for so many years have now come home to roost big time, hitting people hard in their pockets.
The council should have been putting money aside year on year to pay for the repair of buildings in its care.
Instead, most years, the piggy bank would be raided to reduce the rate or council tax increase.
Both parties in power were at it, disregarding the prospect that the town would hit the financial buffers.
Those buffers have been hit in the past decade, most notably with the Aquarena and also with the town's car parks.
The council found itself stuck between a rock and a hard place, with no prospect of raising more money because of government rate capping.
The council had to go cap in hand to NCP and offer up all the old, crumbling multi-storey car parks and the surface car parks.
The council signed a 10-year deal with NCP to renovate and run the car parks.
It also meant the council signed away control of charges.
The result? We now have the highest car parking charges in Sussex, double those of some other towns whose councils have been more prudent.
These councils put money aside for repairs and improvements and continue to run car parks.
NCP has spent a fortune on making Worthing's car parks fit for purpose, and now want to recoup that, and more, over the remainder of the contract.
Who can blame NCP for charging as much as they can?
After all, they are in business to make a profit, not to look after Worthing's interests.
But we motorists can do our bit by encouraging NCP to reduce its charges to more realistic levels.
We could park on-street outside the controlled zone and walk into the town centre – that would give us some much-needed exercise.
The restriction of residents-only car parking between 10am and 11am and 2pm and 3pm on the outskirts of the town could be changed to four-hour free parking to give visitors the chance to shop and have a meal before returning to their cars.
Allowing the public to park there only between 11am and 2pm doesn't give much time for shopping and a meal.
And we all know those NCP attendants will be there to slap on a £35 ticket.
The change would free up hundreds of car parking spaces that are not used by residents, except at night-time.
If NCP found there were vacant spaces in their car parks, it would quickly reduce charges to encourage motorists back.
The solution is in our own hands, folks!
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