Picture Past: November 22, 1968 - parking charges capped at £2 per year

Car parking charges in Weston dominated the news agenda back in late-November 1968.

Councillors had toyed with the idea of raising prices by 50 per cent – but members voted in favour of keeping the charge to £2 for the year.

Fees were introduced to ensure there was a turnover of spaces for the ‘casual day user and the shopper’.

Ald G W Couch led the calls though for the price increase stating: “If people want to pay to park on top of their job in the town, they should be prepared to pay more.

“Other places charge more than Weston.”

Proposals to change prices to £3, or £2 10s, were voted down, although councillors agreed to look again at the fees in future.

* A fire broke out at the Boys Grammar School in Weston.

Several hundreds of pounds worth of damage was caused to the roof.

The fire began in the ‘narrow area between the boys and girls schools gymnasiums’.

But there was very much a British attitude of the show must go on, with the Mercury reporting fears the speech day celebrations would have to be postponed proved to be ‘unfounded’.

* ‘Dullest October since 1901’ was the rather abrupt headline to describe Weston’s previous month.

It was not though a reflection on entertainment in the town, but in fact the weather, with Weston only receiving 49.8 hours of sunlight – less than half the average.

* The Conservatives were in buoyant mood, declaring Labour was on the wane in Weston.

Miss Dina McAuley, of the Weston Young Conservatives, said there had been ‘an overwhelming rejection of the Labour Party’ by young voters.

* There was some rare good news for rail passengers too.

The Government promised to help subsidise the Bristol to Taunton train line, which called at Weston, to ensure it remained in operation.

But not everyone was happy with the railways – in particular the disused ones.

* Cllr Peter Bennett of Wrington Parish Council said it was a ‘national disgrace’ that out-of-commission tracks, such as those near the village, had been left to be covered by weeds.

He said British Rail had not responded to farmers who wanted to take on the land and called for MP David Webster to take up the issue.