Daniel Adams, a shopkeeper in Clevedon, has received an outpouring of community support after losing a High Court case against North Somerset Council’s new parking charges. Despite battling stage three bowel cancer and undergoing his seventh round of chemotherapy, Mr Adams took on the council to challenge the controversial parking fees that affect his business, Stationery House.
Although the court acknowledged the council had errored in its consultation process by issuing an incorrect reference number and overlooking Mr Adams’s objections, the judge ruled the parking charges could remain. Mr Adams was ordered to cover 90% of the council’s legal costs, with an interim payment of £15,000 due by 26 August.
In response, local residents have raised over £10,000 through a fundraiser initiated by Mr Adams’s wife, Kelly. Over 500 supporters have contributed an average of nearly £20 each, reflecting strong local solidarity. Mr Adams expressed his gratitude, saying, “I thought we might be lucky to get maybe £5,000, so to reach this sum is truly humbling and demonstrates remarkable community support.”
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Kelly Adams emphasised that Daniel’s motivation was never personal gain but a desire to protect local businesses and the wider community. She shared the considerable financial strain the legal costs imposed on their family, especially with a young child and rising living expenses amidst ongoing cancer treatment and recovery.
Representing himself in court in June, Mr Adams highlighted procedural flaws in the council’s consultation but was informed by Mrs Justice Steyn DBE that these errors would not have altered the council’s decision. Nonetheless, he received a 10% reduction in the legal costs payable.
The parking charges, introduced following a 2024 council vote covering Clevedon, Nailsea, and Portishead, aimed to secure essential council services, according to cabinet member Mark Canniford. Meanwhile, proposed on-street parking charges in Clevedon’s Hill Road area were withdrawn after threats of legal action from Clevedon Town Council.
North Somerset Council leader Mike Bell criticised the legal disputes between councils as a “scandalous waste of public money.”
The community’s generous fundraising highlights a town united in support of one of its own during a trying time. Donations continue to be welcomed to help ease the significant financial burden faced by Mr Adams.