433% hike in residents' parking charge delayed until April
COUNCIL bosses are pressing ahead with plans to charge residents £80 a year for residents-only parking permits.
However, the controversial 433 per cent increase due to come into force on January 1 has been put back to April.
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PARKING PAIN: The cost of residents' parking permits could go up to £80 from £15.
The delay will allow the council to explore the possibility of allowing residents to pay for their permits in instalments and to consider a concessionary scheme for those on low incomes.
Existing residents-only schemes, which were due to end in the new year, will now continue until April, with no additional charge being imposed.
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As reported, the increase provoked an outcry from residents who currently pay £15 a year for permits.
They described the price hike as "extortionate" and chose not to renew their permits next year.
That led to fears of a parking free-for-all in residential areas in the town centres of Grimsby of Cleethorpes.
In response to two petitions submitted by residents from the West Marsh and Park wards, councillors on the regeneration and environment scrutiny panel urged the ruling Labour administration to reconsider.
As reported, it proposed increasing the cost to £40 next year, and then by £10 a year until the scheme became "cost-neutral".
At yesterday's Cabinet meeting, Councillor Peter Wheatley, portfolio holder for environment, said the authority was right to continue with the planned increase.
He said the previous administration had made a mistake by not increasing the price from £15 in over ten years, but said he understood the concerns of those being asked to pay £80.
He said: "We should be moving on this. The parking scheme came to me as the portfolio holder in June this year so it has been a long time coming.
"When this originally went to scrutiny back in 2011 there were no call-ins. But I understand the concerns of those people that have been asked to pay £80 a year.
"I would like to think we are still a listening council and I would like to propose that the £80 charge is delayed and that the implementation of the scheme will not be brought in until April 2013.
"That will allow officers to investigate the possibility of a flexible payment scheme so people could maybe pay £8 to £10 a month. It will also allow officers to look at the possibility of a concession for those on low incomes."
His proposal was approved unanimously by the Cabinet, which will receive a report from officers early in the new year.
Speaking after the meeting, Councillor Andrew De Freitas (Lib Dem, Park), who has campaigned against the planned increase on behalf of residents, said: "I welcome the fact that there has been some movement on this issue.
"If inflation had been taken into account the price would probably now be somewhere in the region of £25.
"But when it comes to helping people on low incomes, the devil will be in the detail."
Comments
by G18437
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 5:28PM
“RoadWorker,
Ok, I get your point but;
staff costs = parking warden = £fine revenue
You can't just ignore the income in the calculation.
The other point you make is the 4x4 vehicles they run around in don't come cheap. Well that says something in itself. How would the costings change if they insisted on BMWs for their preferred means of transport, and why not push it to Armani uniforms?”
by davidmantle
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 5:11PM
“Why can`t they take the hint and phase the increase in over a period of time - maybe 3 years or so.”
by nukedragga
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 12:54PM
“Reporting on the Grimsby Council Bashing Troll's activity.
He's very active on threads today and using many different names – it's a compulsion.
Play the game and award yourselves 5 points for each of his many names you spot and 10 points where you catch him responding to his own posts and 20 points if you spot him congratulating himself, because that's really weird ;-)
There are lots of points to be had today – spot the style / new name and watch him set a comment trail leading to escalation ;-) .”
by lizidrip
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 12:05PM
“The charges are ludicrous, there must be better ways of managing this and i am sure that most people could use their imagination and come up with a better solution.
How about this as a starter:-
Parking permits to be emailed along with the demand for council tax,for those who do not use IT they are available to residents at the council offices. Cost about £10.00 for admin.
2/3 residents are made into traffic wardens for the particular street they live in only countermanding the need for traffic wardens to go to that street saving money in transport time.
These 1 street only wardens would recieve free parking permits in return.
I am sure that there are lots of other ideas out there that are better than mine, and since the councellors cannot see beyond whats already been done lets give them some alternatives that are cost effective and stop them wanting to implement charges that are simply outrageous.
While I am on the subject of parking,the cost of parking in the town center is far too high and deters people from shopping there. I went to Scunthorpe recently and their charges are less than half of Grimsby's. Apparently they keep the charges low to encourage people to shop in the town center. Even Hull's charges are less than Grimsby's and they have at least treble the facilities and shops that Grimsby has.
As someone who lives in Grimsby and pays their community charges I do not like been ripped off and have quite enjoyed the trips to Scunthorpe and Hull and am looking forward to more”
by RoadWorker
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 11:07AM
“One of the main expenditures for any company is the wage bill and staff costs
If you need to have resident parking, you need to petrol the area.
One of the other cost would be transport! and i noticed that the wardens are traveling about in a 4 x 4 vehicle - this is not cheap”
by G18437
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 10:31AM
“Thanks RoadWorker,
The problem is I've seen previous examples of the council attempting to support its costs.
What you've provided looks an uncannily similar method to me. For a start, in this day and age where everything has to pay for itself, I hardly think a traffic warden's wages could be included in the expenditure.”
by RoadWorker
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 10:19AM
“G18437
Figures for you to Scrutines- these are average due to residents moving and not joining the parking scheme
500 - 540 Parking Permits issued £7500 - £8100 per year
27 roads to petrol 6 days a week every hour, per 10 hour day
Roads both in Grimsby and Cleethorpes
1 Parking warden 60 hours per week on min pay would be £19,000 per year.
hopefull you can now do the maths on this”
by G18437
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 9:24AM
“I have to assume the term "Cost–Neutral" is the latest gimmick word to mean the point at which a service provided by the council breaks even.
Taking that liberty then, there are some answers we are still waiting for:
• If the council have worked out a figure (and know what that is) at which the income from this scheme will neutralise the cost of providing it, why haven't they provided a breakdown of the costs for the public to scrutinise?
• If once the revised costs are implemented and presumably the council is breaking even, why would they be looking to give concessions to MOTORISTS who can't afford the permit charge? This would have the negative effects of no longer breaking even because of the;
i) reduced income, and
ii) cost of administrating the concession scheme”
by b17583
Tuesday, December 11 2012, 8:48AM
“Cllr Wheatley said "I would like to think we are still a listening council"
Wouldn't we all. The problem is if Labour do listen at all they don't take any notice because they know better!!!”