Councillor warns parking charge rise 'will' push local businesses closer to 'extinction'.

A Longford councillor and butcher has insisted the majority of workers and shoppers he has engaged with are opposed to an imminent parking charge rise, which he believes 'will' push local businesses closer to 'extinction'.

The proposed paid parking charge rise to help fund the Longford Municipal District Footpath Programme in addition to other future upgrade programmes is set to proceed and commence on Monday, September 1.

Fianna Fáil Cllr Martin Monaghan, who is strongly opposed, has vowed that local business owners are resilient and will 'fight' their corner.

Representatives were recently informed that Longford, when compared to other places, had ‘the most generous parking regime’.

It was recently announced that all-day parking in the town will rise from €2 to €3 and there will be parking permits for carers and free parking for residents over 65.

The local authority said the increased parking charges will provide certainty in relation to long-term funding and the cost to upgrade the meters is €89,000 for 10 meters.

Cllr Monaghan has been very critical of the charge increase and he stated it will have a detrimental effect with additional costs of €240 per year a significant burden for those on minimum wage.

Monaghan's Butchers has been on Killashee Street for 45 years and Cllr Monaghan said people working in the town centre have to use their cars to come in every day.

"The general feeling is they are not happy. I have [the former] Heatons behind me here, or Sports Direct and that is their car park.

"The Tesco workers, the general retail workers in the town, they are not on huge money, that is where it's really affecting people.

"That is where they are being hit, and they are being hit in the pocket. A fiver a week covers a cup of coffee or a sandwich."

Cllr Monaghan believes Longford town is 'out of sync' with other towns and parking in Roscommon and Athlone's Golden Island is free.

"If the streets become empty they don't become safe and I have said it before as small businesses in an urban area, Main Street, Ballymahon Street, Killashee Street, Dublin Street, we rely on footfall.

"And if there's no footfall, the only way we are heading to is extinction. And that is not trying to scare people, I'm on a side street on Killashee Street and I rely totally on footfall coming in."

Cllr Kevin Hussey is also against the parking charge rise, while Cllr Gerry Hagan and Cllr Peggy Nolan are in favour of the increase to support the footpath programme.

Cllr Monaghan, who acknowledges the footpaths need to be improved, believes the money should be found from a different source.

"We are borrowing €2 million for a three-year footpath programme that's going to be paid over 10 years.

"Financially, it doesn't make sense. I know by getting extra income off the park, we can get more money granted. But you should be able to get it from the national government."

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