Council votes for parking hike
PAY parking in Dundalk is to go up to €1.10 an hour after a majority of local councillors voted in favour of adopting the amended bye-laws as previously agreed at Louth County Council’s annual budget meeting.
The Municipal District of Dundalk meeting heard that councillors in Drogheda had the previously night refused to adopt the amended bye-laws with the result that pay parking in the Boyneside town remains at €1.20 per hour.
The new rate for parking on the street comes into effect from February 8th and Acting Director of Service Mr Willie Walsh told councillors that the proposed increase in pay parking in the town’s long term car parks would have to go out to public consultation.
A number of councillors pondered on what impact the decision of the Drogheda councillors would have on their own deliberations.
Cllr Mark Dearey argued that no matter had happened in Drogheda the previous night, it was ‘a matter of honour’ for the Dundalk councillors to follow through on the budget which had been approved and to vote for the change in pay parking.
‘I feel we are legally bound to vote for the change in pay parking,’ he said. ‘We have to set aside what happened in Drogheda and do what we effectively agreed to do with the passing of the budget.’
Launching a broadside at the representatives from the south of the county, Cllr Peter Savage said ‘In my 44 years on the council, as far as Drogheda is concerned, I never saw them doing anything right in the head. It’s a lot of nonsense.’
Cllr John McGahon told the view that it would be ‘underhand’ to renege on the promise they had made when they voted for the budget.
Cllr Anne Campbell said that while she knew where Cllrs Dearey and McGahon were coming from, they couldn’t ignore what had happened in Drogheda. She protested that they hadn’t been told that long term parking was a different matter to street parking. With Brexit only 80 days away, she argued ‘we don’t need any more pay parking charges in Dundalk.’
She also pointed out that the money generated by pay parking wouldn’t be ring fenced for the town.
‘Ultimately we have a legal obligation to vote for this,’ argued Cllr Emma Coffey, questioning the validity of the vote taken in Drogheda. ‘Effectively Drogheda is paying €1.20 and we are paying €1.10.’
‘What happened in Drogheda, happened in Drogheda. It’s a matter for the public representatives there to deal with it. It’s not that Dundalk will be carrying the can,’ she said, as effectively the two towns will be bringing in the same amount of revenue from pay parking.
‘ The people of Drogheda are going to pay more than if they had adopted this. That’s the sign of a fool,’ declared Cllr Savage.
Cllr Maeve Yore wanted to know why pay parking wasn’t in place in Ardee if the plan was to have equalisation of parking charges throughout the county.
Director of Service Mr Frank Pentony stated that pay parking in Ardee was costing more to administer than it was bringing in.
Chairperson Cllr Conor Keelan said he wasn’t surprised at the way the vote had gone in Drogheda.
Cllr Tomas Sharkey argued that the budget which they had adopted wasn’t a balanced budget as they were now being asked to adopt the byelaws ‘ to make it look half creditable’.
‘It’s a load of cock and bull.’
He was chided by Cllr Savage who maintained that all budgets are a projection of what may happen.
Cllr Sharkey returned that it was ‘guesstimate’ as the income from pay parking might not be realised.
The proposal was carried by eight votes to four, with the Sinn Fein members present voting against it.