IT comes as no surprise that Stroud shopkeepers do not want the scheme that Stroud District Council is trying to bring to the town – the loyalty scheme. The public does not want another loyalty scheme. The only people to benefit financially will be the third party which administers it.
The idea is to have the council manage the budget and, of course, charging for parking does manage the flow and time cars are parked. If they introduce free-for-all then many spaces will be taken up without concern for anyone else.
Creating more bureaucracy and red tape is not a good way to start tackling the issue of parking. Perhaps councillors should consider speaking with the business providers to see what they would like rather than making comments about how disappointed they are.
Use the keep it simple approach. The subject is a hot potato and needs proper consultation.
Leave the shopkeepers to manage their own affairs without adding more schemes.
What may have worked in one part of the country is not a given that it will work in Stroud.
Rodger Cuddington, Ebley