Brentwood News
Parking fees plan set to be changed
7:00am Saturday 13th March 2010
THE TORIES have announced changes to their plan to make parking cheaper for residents in the borough.
Ahead of last month’s budget meeting, Brentwood Council bosses unveiled a new £100,000 parking scheme, involving vehicle registration technology and special cards which recognised residents and non-residents.
Under the plan, residents parking in town council car parks would get their first hour for 20p less.
However, the Tories have now changed the scheme.
Instead of one hour, residents now get two hours of cheaper parking.
The Tories have also done away with the costly technology, and substituted it for a cheaper permit system.
Louise McKinlay, Brentwood Council leader, said: “We found people liked the idea in principle, but they didn’t like the idea of having to register.
“We took that on board and we've made some changes.
“This way it works out that 80 per cent of residents will get cheaper parking in the borough.”
The revised scheme will start in the William Hunter Way car park at the end of the summer, and will be trialed for 12 months.
Households will each receive two permits to display. Then when they visit the car park, they can select the resident button and get the discounted rate.
The savings for residents are being offset by increasing parking charges for non-residents.
However, the opposition Liberal Democrats have branded the plan a farce.
David Kendall, leader of the Lib Dems, said: “It’s a shambles. The Tories just don’t seem to be able to make up their minds.”
He said his party would be pushing their own plan to cut parking costs, which was previously panned by the Tories.
Mr Kendall’s idea was to offer the first hour parking free in all Brentwood town centre car parks, and offset this by charging 40p an hour to park after 7pm.
The Tories said the numbers didn’t add up, but Mr Kendall said the idea has been costed by the council’s financial officer and could work.