Footpath charge gets dismantled
By Joel Maxwell
Business revolt against footpath charge forces back-down. A footpath fee for Jackson Street businesses looks set to be dismantled after businesses revolted against paying to use the footpath. Hutt City Council?s strategy and policy committee voted to switch the charge from an annual per-square-metre basis to a flat fee of $150 for three years. In a split vote it also decided to let businesses use the 90cm of space in front of their shop free as a right. Councillor David Bassett said his personal view was that he really wondered what the council was trying to achieve with the charge. ?My concern about it was that the cost of putting that in place and policing it was going to cost more than what we would get from income.? He also questioned whether the charge came at the right time in light of the tough economic environment facing business owners. The reversal comes after the Jackson Street Programme led the charge against the bill, which caught many businesses by surprise when it arrived in the mail. Businesses were told to pay up or else ? but the programme urged them to hold off. George Wing of W Wing Fruiters was hit with a bill for $400. The demand came out of the blue and he dragged in his stands from the footpath because he did not believe it was worth it to leave them out. Palace Caf? owner Beth Robinson said the charge was just a way for the council to gather revenue. The committee also resolved that businesses will be refunded any part of the annual fee paid after July 1. The council is rolling out market-based charges for footpath use ? as a commercial use of council land ? throughout Hutt. Now the committee decision on the Petone charges will need to be approved in a meeting of the full council.
