{"id":33819,"date":"2019-03-01T13:07:40","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T13:07:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jomec.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/?p=33819"},"modified":"2019-03-01T13:07:40","modified_gmt":"2019-03-01T13:07:40","slug":"conservatives-trying-to-hide-parking-charge-costs-in-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/thecardiffian\/2019\/03\/01\/conservatives-trying-to-hide-parking-charge-costs-in-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"Conservatives 'trying to hide parking charge costs in budget'"},"content":{"rendered":"

CONSERVATIVE-LED<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Vale of Glamorgan Council\u00a0<\/span>has been accused of trying to\u00a0<\/span>slip through its car parking strategy by hiding it within\u00a0<\/span>its budget.
\nThe \u00a3145,000 in funding for its controversial plan to introduce parking charges in town centres was added in to the council\u2019s capital\u00a0budget, without a separate vote on the issue.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nIf t<\/span>he council\u00a0<\/span>had approved the budget as it was, it\u00a0<\/span>would effectively\u00a0<\/span>have\u00a0<\/span>be<\/span>en<\/span>\u00a0giving the green light to parking charges in town centres.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nLabour Councillor, Neil Thomas said: \u201cThey tried to sneak through\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0parking\u00a0<\/span>costs\u00a0<\/span>but we spotted it and got it pulled as it isn’t agreed and has to go through the process where it will meet strong opposition.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nLabour proposed an amendment to the\u00a0<\/span>c<\/span>apital\u00a0<\/span>budget<\/span>\u00a0which was\u00a0<\/span>accepted by council leader John Thomas.<\/span>
\nIan Johnson, leader of Plaid Cymru, said: \u201c<\/span>It<\/span>\u00a0was wrong that the capital strategy included controversial spending plans for introducing town centre car parking charging when councillors and local residents are still waiting for results of\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0consultation.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nSome of the proposed charges include:\u00a0 \u00a31 for up to three hours, \u00a32 for up to four hours, \u00a35 for five hours and \u00a36 for an all-day ticket.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nVictoria Carling, 32, works in Washington Pharmacy in the centre of Penarth.<\/span>
\n\u201cI\u2019m\u00a0<\/span>still\u00a0<\/span>not sure that a charge is the right thing – parking does need to be improved but I think it should be better managed by the traffic wardens,” she said.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u201cThe problem for those of us who are here everyday is that people who work in the shops and businesses in Penarth park outside the shops and that leaves no space for potential customers to park<\/span>\u00a0and eventually they just go elsewhere.<\/span>\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe parking consultation report is not due to be debated<\/span>\u00a0at the council<\/span>\u00a0for another few weeks.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\nCoun Johnson believed the decision to include the costs in the budget might have been an oversight but, he added: \u201cI<\/span>t suggested that they had pre-determined the outcome of that consultation, despite the obvious and substantial opposition to the proposal.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
\n\u201cI am pleased that the council leader recognised that this gave the wrong signals and withdrew it from the capital budget proposals so that they could pass almost unopposed.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
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