CAR PARKING AMNESTY WILL COST MILLIONS
drogheda bylaws botch could be mirrored nationwide
A MOVE to grant free parking on the streets of Drogheda means councils all over the country could lose millions.
All parking for the next three months will be free in the Co Louth town and outstanding fines are to be cancelled.
It comes after a loophole in the law was discovered this week.
The council found its bylaws in Drogheda are unenforceable and must be changed.
It will take three months for the changes to be processed and an amnesty will be in place for all vehicles until then, with all outstanding fines being dropped.
It will cost the council hundreds of thousands of euro in lost revenue and has led to concerns other authorities all over the country may have similar
Drogheda can’t charge to park loopholes. Labour Senator Ged Nash urged Local Government Minister Eoghan Murphy to start a nationwide review.
The Louth politician said: “It strikes me there could be loopholes other councils haven’t identified and I would call for the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government to instruct all local authorities in Ireland to do an audit on their parking bylaws.”
A spokesman for Louth County Council told the Irish Mirror the legal advice is to stop charging for parking for the foreseeable future.
He said: “In the case of Drogheda there are a number of problems in relation to both the on-street and car park bylaws, including the absence of commencement dates.
“Consequently, as from this evening, I am suspending charging for parking in Drogheda pending the adoption of new bylaws.
“I anticipate the time period required for publishing them, allowing for submissions and the statutory commencement period will be approximately three months.
“Additionally, I estimate the council will suffer a reduction of at least €300,000 in income over that period.”