Tories sneak out half-baked proposals for 30 minutes free parking

12.00.00am GMT Wed 11th Dec 2002

The much-heralded Tory proposals to give residents 30 minutes free parking saw the light of day for the first time at last night's Environment Committee (see para 3.6.2 of Budget Strategy paper).

Their author Cabinet member Cllr Mark Kreling chose not to attend so Council officers had to make the best of a bad job.

The plan is to use £300,000 of Penalty Charge Notice income from parking contraventions elsewhere to pay for the added enforcement costs and lost income.

Residents would receive scratch-off vouchers to park free in any on and off-street visitors' spaces for up to half an hour outside the town centres of Richmond and Twickenham.

Says Martin Elengorn "Nobody was able to say whether the intention is to give a present to residents who would park in these spaces anyway or to encourage residents to forsake public transport, their bicycles and feet and choke up the roads driving to these spaces."

"It is really difficult to believe that the modest half hour charges outside Twickenham and Richmond deter anyone who needs to use a car from using their local shops."

"£300,000 is a lot of money and the same Budget paper contained proposals to close the Council's much-praised Consumer Advice Service and public lavatories generally."

"While Parking Penalty Money has to be spent on Transport matters it would free up £300,000 from the Council Tax fund to preserve these and other essential services. Policing this scheme will be a complete nightmare"