Reading council backs down on car park charge increase
20/01/2010
Reading Borough Council has withdrawn its earlier proposals to increase car parking charges across the borough after challenges from the Conservative Party.
The Deputy Leader of Reading Borough Council, Tony Page, publically apologised at a Cabinet meeting earlier this week, as a result of failing to consult on the proposed increases.
The cabinet agreed to withdraw the charge increase plans as the decisions were made without consulting with lead councillors. Page told the Cabinet that it had been four years since the last set of car parking charges were increased and “people have forgotten what the process was.”
The increases were to affect all NCP car parks and were proposed by NCP itself. The car parking firm has been contracted to operate the borough’s car parks and also to refurbish many of them.
The next stage is for the head of transport in the borough, Pat Baxter, to consult with Councillor Page and other senior councillors about the NCP proposals.
Councillor Baxter also told colleagues that the controversial new parking charges in two of the town’s car parks, that are currently free, can be changed to allow the first hour of parking to remain free of charge.
The Deputy Leader of Reading Borough Council, Tony Page, publically apologised at a Cabinet meeting earlier this week, as a result of failing to consult on the proposed increases.
The cabinet agreed to withdraw the charge increase plans as the decisions were made without consulting with lead councillors. Page told the Cabinet that it had been four years since the last set of car parking charges were increased and “people have forgotten what the process was.”
The increases were to affect all NCP car parks and were proposed by NCP itself. The car parking firm has been contracted to operate the borough’s car parks and also to refurbish many of them.
The next stage is for the head of transport in the borough, Pat Baxter, to consult with Councillor Page and other senior councillors about the NCP proposals.
Councillor Baxter also told colleagues that the controversial new parking charges in two of the town’s car parks, that are currently free, can be changed to allow the first hour of parking to remain free of charge.
RSS