Council staff may pay to park
AN OUTCRY from disabled drivers over councillors and council staff continuing to enjoy free parking while they are forced to pay, has led to a promise that the benefit may now be scrapped.
West Norfolk Council leader Nick Daubney said a review of the benefit, currently on offer to hundreds of council staff while they are at work, is already under way.
Blue badge holder, disabled ex-serviceman Thomas Howard (54), of Sandy Lane, South Wootton, launched a stinging attack on the council having reviewed figures, which he says show it could make more money by charging its own staff to park than introducing charges for the disabled as planned.
College of West Anglia lecturer Mr Howard said: "What annoys me is hearing the leader of the council Nick Daubney saying those who park pay and there are all these people from the council getting it for nothing.
"I personally think he is a hypocrite."
The council has said it hopes to make 240,000 a year by charging blue badge holders to park.
Mr Howard claimed that if each of the 568 council parking permit holders was paying to park in a long-stay car park each working day of the year, it would generate around 252,000 and claimed the permits had effectively meant the council missing out on millions over the past 20 years.
A council spokesman denied those figures are a real reflection of the situation because only a small number of the permits are in use every day.
Mr Daubney insisted a full review of the council permits was already being carried out when Mr Howard made his figures public and early estimations show 30,000 to 40,000 a year could be made by charging staff and members for parking.
He said increased income would be offset against costs for changing employees' terms and conditions, but added: "I think it would be a fair way forward, but I need to know exactly how much it will cost because it will not be free.
"We will do it as quickly as we can given the fact we have to negotiate with unions."
Despite signalling the council benefits are under threat, Mr Daubney showed no signs of a U-turn on the plans to charge blue badge holders.
Disabled lifelong-charity fundraiser Mr Brian Brackenbury (72), of High Street, Heacham, added his voice to protests over the impact of the policy, due to begin next month.
He said the charges will make it impossible for him to continue with a summer pastime of sitting on the Hunstanton cliff tops and watching the world go by.
"This takes away one of the few pleasures I have,"" he said.
A QUICK poll of cars in the packed short-stay Chapel Street car park, opposite West Norfolk Council's offices, on Friday showed only nine cars had paid the pay-and-display toll of up to 3 for five hours.
There were 50 cars displaying council permits, which allow staff and members to park for free.
Two cars displayed the blue badges, which currently allow disabled people to park for free, but will soon offer no concession in West Norfolk's car parks under a council money-making scheme.
A council spokesman told the Lynn News a relative few of the 568 permits currently issued to staff and members allowed holders to use short-stay car parks. In the main holders are restricted to using long-stay facilities.
Read letters generated on this subject on page 14 of today's Lynn News and also see how you voted on the website last week.
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Sunday 27 May 2012
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