News from Westminster Labour

Westminster Labour to cut cost of residents’ parking by £10 a year

Unpopular loss-making motorbike parking charges to be scrapped with Labour.

Labour Councillors are promising a £10 cut in the cost of an annual Residents’ Parking Permit as part of its election pledges, to be unveiled at the Council meeting on 3rd March when the budget for next financial year is set. The cost of an annual Residents’ Parking Permit is currently £120, making Labour’s £10 cut a reduction of 8.3%.

Labour say that the £390,000 cost of cutting the cost of a residents’ parking permit by £10 will be met by scrapping the hugely unpopular and loss-making motorbike parking charges which are costing Council Tax payers £430,000 this year.

Labour say that cutting the cost of a residents parking permit will go some way to compensating residents for the Council’s policy of suspending parking bays to allow contractors to use the road as building sites. The Council has been charging residents nearly £4 million a year for residents’ parking permits and then raking in an additional £7.5 million a year by suspending the same residents parking bays and charging builders for the using the residents’ parking bays as construction sites.

In addition in 2008, 996 parking fines were issued to residents for parking in a suspended parking bay even though they were displaying a valid resident permit, raking in a further £120,000 for the Council.

Councillor Paul Dimoldenberg, Leader of the Labour Group, said:

“Cutting the cost of Residents’ Parking Permits by £10 a year is part of our ‘fair parking’ pledge to local residents. The reduction in the cost of the residents’ parking permit will be paid for by scrapping the loss-making and very unpopular motorbike parking charges which is predicted to make a loss of £430,000 this year.”

“Overall, our aim is to provide effective and value-for-money services to local residents, with parking a key service for our attention. Westminster Conservatives have treated residents like ‘cash-machines’ for too long. It is time that common sense and fair play took over and that is what Labour is pledged to do.”

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• Westminster Labour calls for an 'outbreak of democracy' over election of new council Leader - 2 February 2012