Councillors should vote against parking perk

Free car parking after 3pm is too little and too late for retailers in Wokingham Town, it is however, better than nothing.

Tory councillors are set to vote themselves a £100 a car parking bonus later this month, a 20% increase in the out-of-pocket expense component of their allowances. This is to compensate themselves for the evening car parking charges which they themselves introduced and which residents have had to pay.

The 20% increase in expenses was never, ever justified, it is even less so now.

The car parking bonus comes on top of an across the board 1% pay rise in the basic allowance.

Again, in an environment where Scout groups are hit by swinging increases in rent, school patrols have been made redundant and bus services are being cut, one would hope that the local Tories show just a semblance of the leadership which the national party so clearly lacks.

They must vote against both rises in Council on November 23.