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THE WOKINGHAM PAPER
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Pay to pray: parking fees an ‘insult’ to churches Charges force parishioners to count cost of Sunday worship
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Friday, April 8, 2016 No. 51
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EXCLUSIVE
By PHIL CREIGHTON news@wokinghampaper.co.uk A DECISION to start charging drivers to use borough car parks on Sundays has been called an “insult” to churchgoers in Wokingham. Last Wednesday, the borough council’s executive committee agreed to a controversial plan to introduce fees in car parks for evening, weekends and bank holidays - although Woodley’s car parks will eschew the fees in exchange for a 10p per hour rise in daytime rates. Under the plans, car parking charges will remain as normal from 8am to 6pm, at other times it will be a flat rate of £1, with nightly season tickets costing £292 being made available. The decision goes against a consultation that saw the vast majority object to the plans, with some respondents warning that Wokingham will become a ghost town if the plan goes ahead. It means that people who attend services on Sundays will now have to pay to pray, something that churches criticised during the consultation period. The decision, made as the council broke up for the forthcoming local elections, has since been called in by the Liberal Democrats. This means that they have asked the council’s Overview and Scrutiny committee to hold an inquiry into the decision. n Continued on page 4
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