Conservative parking charges lose £500,000 for the Council in just six months

Wiltshire's Conservatives today revealed the full extent of the damage their new car-parking charges are causing to the Council's finances. Estimated earnings from car-parks are £500,000 less than expected, just six months into the new regime.

Bill Douglas, Lib Dem Councillor for Chippenham Hardens and England and Park Ward, has attacked the Conservative's figures saying:

"There has been no press release on this devastating news from our Conservative led Council. Cabinet Member Dick Tonge is, we are told, suddenly rushing out a proposal on a pay-back scheme for next weeks Cabinet Meeting, no wonder, because they knew this was bound to come out and embarrass them.

"This half million is about the amount that the Conservatives are to slash from the Youth Services budget. If we had a Council that listened rather than forcing ahead with this ill-though out scheme, they might not have to be closing Youth Centres across the county and throwing kids out onto the streets.

"I repeat again to the Conservatives, hand the car parks over to our Town Councils now, and let us decide on parking charges. I am quite sure that local communities would be capable of devising a scheme that won't lose another half million in the next six months."

Bill continued, "In forcing a wholesale review of the parking charges, the Lib Dems have fought for not only our shopkeepers and residents but for every town and village in Wiltshire to revive and help their finances, stop shop closures and save jobs."

Lib Dem Group Leader Cllr Jon Hubbard said "To anyone who spends any time in our market towns, the empty streets and abandoned car parks have made the failure of the new charges chillingly apparent. The Conservative councillors may not have seen what is happening in their county, but perhaps they'll listen to the figures. A £500,000 loss can't be ignored."

The Agenda Supplement is available here (Page 8) cms.wiltshire.gov.uk/mgConvert2Pdf.aspx