Councillors could get free parking under new permit plans

CONCERNS RAISED OVER ‘FREEBIE’

COUNCILLORS are to get free permits under a borough’s proposed shake-up of residents’ parking schemes.

Spaces are at a premium in many parts of Stockport – particularly where parking is on-street only – and residents often find they are unable to park near their homes.

Last year the council stopped residents applying for permit schemes on their streets while it carried out a ‘root and branch’ investigation into the problem.

It has now produced a revised policy which proposes a ‘flexible’ approach to Residents Parking Zones (RPZs), including unrestricted parking between certain hours, pay and display options and car club bays.

There is no guarantee that residents will be able to park outside their home or that a permit will be issued for every vehicle belonging to a household. Visitor passes may be withheld in areas where space is particularly limited.

Charges will cover administration and enforcement costs.

But councillors will get a free permit covering all the RPZs in their wards ‘to allow for them carrying out their responsibilities’.

Those who are cabinet members will be able to park in any zone in the borough.

The new policy is yet to be signed off, however, and some elected members say they are ‘not comfortable’ with the arrangements.

Coun Charles Gibson raised misgivings over the ‘freebie’ at a meeting of the communities and housing scrutiny committee.

He said: “I’m interested in the justification for that as it’s clearly an expense.

“I’m slightly concerned about the optics of giving free parking to councillors and cabinet members where we are charging residents to park on their own streets. We are saying we can visit them for free where their visitors can’t.”

Committee chair Coun Mark Roberts agreed, saying he would feel particularly uncomfortable given that social workers and other frontline staff were not exempt from payment.

He also felt councillors should be leading by example and using other greener forms of transport where possible.

But Coun Andy Sorton urged caution, saying it could stop some councillors from carrying out their role effectively – particularly in wards where there are several zones and public transport is limited. He said: “Just have a bit of thought behind the impact it can have – or the benefit it can have – when you are going out representing people.”

Coun Sheila Bailey, cabinet member for Sustainable Stockport, told the committee it could make recommendations if members did not agree with free passes for councillors.

And she explained that the ‘rationale’ was that elected members would only be visiting zones as and when they needed to.

“Therefore they would only be there for the time they were visiting a constituent or some other duty connected to their role as councillor,” she said.

“It’s not a parking place per se. It’s providing them with somewhere to park, in an area which is permit parking (controlled) , when it would be very difficult to park in another area.”

Coun John McGahan, said he felt it was an ‘excellent idea’ allowing councillors to park up for as long as needed before moving on, ‘very much like Royal Mail or DPD’.