TORIES CLAIM LONGER NOT MORE PARKING

12.00.00am GMT Tue 4th Mar 2003

When Lib Dem Councillors called in the Cabinet decision for the controversial 30 minutes free parking scheme, the Tories gave only one day's notice of the Scrutiny Committee to consider the call-in. The meeting was held at 5 pm today.

Commented Cllr Martin Elengorn, Opposition transport spokesman, "This was clearly inadequate notice for our independent members and none could come. The guillotine at the last Scrutiny Committee meeting meant we couldn't discuss everything and discussion of this proposal was squeezed out. So we caught it after the Cabinet meeting."

"Although the Tories wouldn't budge on this £280k give-away scheme there were some interesting admissions at the meeting. "

"Firstly the Director of Finance conceded that, although the extra parking income to cover the £280k couldn't instead be directly spent across all the Council's services, it could release an equivalent £280k of the Council's general funds at present spent on transport. "

"So in fact, the Tories could have saved the public conveniences or reduced day centre charges instead. But their priorities seem to be to help the better off."

"They also claimed they were expecting the result of the scheme to be not more shoppers coming by car but the same number of shoppers parking longer. In other words they were expecting people to buy a ticket and then use the 30 minutes' voucher to extend their stay"

"Said Martin " It seems sheer guesswork that this is what will happen rather than people using only the voucher and taking the risk of a warden catching them overstaying. There is no evidence at all that this curious proposal will help our shopping centres but plenty of evidence that £280k could be better spent elsewhere"