Parking charge plans dropped
The decision has come after fierce opposition
Scarborough Borough Council has scrapped plans to introduce a winter parking charge in the area after much opposition.
Scarborough Council’s cabinet has voted to ditch plans to bring in winter parking charges across the borough.
The executive met this week following a damning meeting of the council’s overview and scrutiny board in which councillors and business owners attacked the “confusing” plans.
The cabinet voted last month to charge £1 for 24 hours parking in some of the borough’s car parks from November to March. There was previously no charge.
That decision also created a residents’ “virtual” parking permit, which would give residents a cheaper rate of payment in car parks.
However, following a callin by Independent councillor Janet Jefferson who argued plans would lead to confusion, the cabinet has voted to bring in the residents permit for a trial period without the winter parking charge element.
The decision to drop the winter parking charge will leave the council having to find £84,000 to cover the cost of the permit for its first year.
Despite the change, councillors on the cabinet still expressed support for charging during the winter months.
“We really did want to see the implementation of residents permits and the reduc- tion in the charge for them but there’s always, as with everything in this council, a financial cost to that and what concerns me greatly is trying to make the savings required across the board.”
The cabinet voted to drop the winter parking scheme and send the plan to its full council meeting in January.
During the overview and scrutiny board call-in Scarborough seafront-based businessman James Corrigan said: “I must congratulate [the borough] and the county council in developing what is the most complicated, confusing, unwelcome and ad hoc parking scheme in what must be the country and we are adding another level of confusion to that.”