Berkhamsted mayor says parking is top of his agenda
The new mayor of Berkhamsted Ron Cowie.
THE new mayor of Berkhamsted has told the Gazette the “biggest thing” on his agenda is sorting out the town’s parking problems.
Householders who live near its train station and town centre have long struggled to find spaces near their homes due to nearby parking by commuters and school run parents.
But when Berkhamsted Town Council proposed two residents-only parking zones there, the scheme was met by protest from neighbours who said it would leave them with less spaces.
Mr Cowie, who is also chairman of the council’s transport and environment committee, said: “I am determined the conclusion we come to is the best one for the town.
“If we are muddling through at the moment and these proposals make it worse, muddling through is what we will carry on doing.
“I am not wedded to any scheme, or no scheme at all. I honestly want to do what’s best for the majority.”
He said the town council has asked Dacorum Borough Council, the parking authority, for a new town centre car park before – but there has never been the money.
He said: “This has been a festering sore in the town – it’s a long-term problem.”
But he said the problem could be solved in the next 12 months if new businesses in the town agree to help fund the cost of the car park.
He also hopes to involve youth more in the running of the town and is looking for small charities to raise cash for in his year as mayor.
Mr Cowie is chairman of Berkhamsted’s Chamber of Commerce and Town Hall Trust and is a former chairman of governor for the town’s Greenway First and Nursery School.
He has been a councillor for five years, and has lived in Berkhamsted since 1986.
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Weather for Hemel Hempstead
Thursday 20 June 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 13 C to 19 C
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