Tories attempt to veto residents parking schemes

On Monday South Gloucestershire Council’s ruling Conservative administration were told to talk to residents before ruling out residents parking schemes. Lib Dem and Labour Councillors made the recommendation at the Select Committee meeting responsible for looking at transport policy.

There are already free schemes running in Thornbury and Kingswood, the Thornbury one having been set up to resolve parking problems created when the Council offices were built. The Cabinet Member appears to have considered only two options - introducing a policy with an extremely high charge for a permit, which he insisted would have to apply to the existing free schemes, or not allow any more parking schemes to be created.

The meeting was chaired by Pat Hockey, who said the Cabinet Member had failed to get full information on other schemes in other places or to ask the public for their opinion on what they wanted for their areas. Amazingly, the high cost proposed seemed to be based on recovering all start up costs in the first year.

Lib Dem Councillors said the Council had a moral duty to deal with parking problems created by its own offices. Claire Young said that it would be unfair for the administration to say to residents who might be affected by the new Badminton Road offices at Nibley that they couldn't have the option of a scheme like the one already working so successfully for Thornbury residents.