A moan

From time to time I mention the shops of Horton Retail, at the junction of Horton Lane and Chantilly Way, formerly Long Grove Road.

I now hear that the shops there have contracted out the management of the parking, with the result that management has become very aggressive, with swingeing fines being imposed for minor, not to say trivial, infractions. Most of the reason for this is that the contractor is paid by means of these fines and is so likely to maximise the fines and so maximise his pay.

I dare say that before the contractor arrived, people were abusing the parking facilities, perhaps by parking across slots or by blocking delivery or disabled slots. But I find it depressing that in a rich country like the UK, that this is the best we can do. Depressing that we cannot find some more relaxed solution to the problem.

Particularly since this is not the first time that I have heard of aggressive management of private parking facilities - the first time being the parking in the grounds of a private housing estate.

In the present case, maybe there is hope in that the customers for the shops might take their custom elsewhere, which might persuade the shops to change their ways.

PS: I associate to the similarly unpleasant way in which retail banking is in large part financed by swingeing fines for minor infractions there.