Issue - meetings

To consider report 10/11 of the head of economy, leisure, and property. 

Cabinet considered report 10/11 of the head of economy, leisure, and property.  This provided information to help the Cabinet decide whether and how to put in place a Conservative pre-election pledge to introduce free short-stay car parking in the three market towns.  The Cabinet’s proposals were to:

·       introduce two hours free parking at all Vale car parks

·       increase parking charges over three hours

·       increase permit costs

·       require a ticket to be displayed at all times, including during the free parking period

·       extend the charging period to 6pm on Monday to Saturday

·       introduce a 'no return' for two hours for all car parks in a particular town

The report set out the officers’ assessment of the impact on income and expenditure.  The section 151 officer believed that the changes would cause a significant loss of income, estimated at £192,500 a year, with one-off costs of £10,000 for changes to signs, equipment, and advertising the proposals.  This would have a significant impact on the medium term financial plan.  The section 151 officer identified options to meet this cost:

·        using the new homes bonus

·        achieving further shared service efficiency savings, for example, co-locating the Vale’s and South Oxfordshire District Council’s offices in one building

·        other reactive savings through lean working efficiency measures or service cuts

·        raising income by creating a business improvement district

There were risks with each option—the section 151 officer did not believe that these options would be sufficient to meet the longer-term cost of the Cabinet’s proposals.  As no budget was available to fund the proposals in the current year, the Council would need to approve a supplementary revenue estimate to meet the cost. 

Cabinet noted that the proposals would require a change to the council’s policy, which stated that income from the service as a whole must cover the car parks’ operating, maintenance and management costs.  There would also need to be a new car park order.  Following consultation on the order, the proposals were likely to be introduced in December 2011 at the earliest. 

The report also identified other options such as introducing totally free parking, maintaining the existing service, or increasing charges. 

The Cabinet member responsible for this service reported that the car parking service was not just a source of revenue; it was a service.  Free parking worked in other parts of the country.  The proposals would help attract more visitors to the Vale and would improve the economies in the market towns. 

Three non-Cabinet councillors had requested to address the Cabinet on this matter:

• Councillor Jenny Hannaby questioned why free parking was necessary when it was already available in Wantage.  How would the Cabinet monitor the effectiveness of the proposed changes?  How would the Cabinet fund this in future years?  The new homes bonus should be used for housing or youth facilities.  Was the Cabinet going to consult the public on these changes? 
• Councillor Richard Webber believed that from reading the report, the proposed course of action was unwise.  He accepted that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5