Bognor's parking scheme hopes to raise £20k

Making the announcement, Chris Heaps said: “The scheme has been increasingly popular over the years to such an extent that over the last two years the traders’ association have been able to raise enough to be able to contribute funds to activities within the town centre.”

He said this has included organising the ongoing ‘Christmas Bognor Regis’ marketing campaign which is working to ‘show a united face of Bognor Regis at Christmas and represent the many activities going on here under one banner’.

“It’s early days and it was something of a rush job but we hope that it will form a template for further marketing of the town in 2018 and years to come.”

Chris added that the ‘extremely supportive’ public had prompted this year’s price rise, from £1 to £2, and that it is hoped it will will result in a ‘significant fund’ to continue this work.

“We have received many comments over the years supporting an increase in the price to £2. Since production costs for the discs have been steadily increasing we decided that now was a great time to accept the generosity of the public.

“Based on previous years’ sales this should produce funds of £20k or more which can be directed straight back into town centre management activities and improvements within the town centre.”

Deeming the discs a ‘no-brainer’ for car users, Chris demonstrated that – along with the fundraising – it was a money saver, stating that using the disc in Fitzleet Car Park (the cheapest in the scheme) just once every two months more than pays for the cost of the disc.

A spokesman for the town council said it was ‘proud’ to be sponsoring the project for another year.

They said: “We hope the scheme will encourage shoppers to come to Bognor Regis and support and enjoy our wide range of businesses.”

Discs are available from numerous retailers and the Bognor Regis Observer offices.