The Stage

Performers protest agains West End parking hike

Published Friday 2 December 2011 at 17:23 by Alistair Smith

Musicians and actors have held a protest in the West End against Westminster City Council’s plans to extend parking charges in the borough.

The new parking charges will target the area south of Oxford Street, including Theatreland, and will see a rate of £4.40 an hour charged all day on Fridays and Saturdays until midnight, and between 1pm and 6pm on Sundays. A reduced hourly rate of £2.20 will also be charged from 6.30pm until midnight from Monday to Thursday.

It will be the first time the council has charged for parking after 6.30pm or on Sundays, with London theatres claiming it could put audiences off coming to the theatre and cost them as much as £70 million in ticket sales annually. Concerns have also been raised about the welfare of performers, musicians and backstage staff who are forced to use public transport late at night following a show.

The Musicians’ Union claims that the extra charges could cost musicians and other performers working in the area an extra £100 or more per week.

Dave Webster, MU senior organiser for London, said: “Musicians are often required to work unsociable hours and carry heavy and valuable instruments and equipment that makes it difficult and risky to use public transport. Many of our members are self-employed and are not sufficiently well-paid to be able to afford the proposed extended parking charges.

“This is a tax on their work and a tax on entertainment that is unsustainable. The weekend and night time economy of the West End will suffer a terrible blow if these charges are introduced.”

A petition has been launched protesting the changes, which can be signed at http://petitions.westminster.gov.uk/WestEndParking