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Parking charges - listen to debate
HORSHAM District Council's meeting last month to discuss increases in car parking charges by up to 40 per cent has provoked enormous controversy.
The County Times branded it 'shambolic' and the leader of the Lib Dem opposition David Holmes said: "The council dealt with matters of the most serious concern that were being forced through in a totally unacceptable manner."
Last week, the council admitted that in the confusion a 'procedural error' at the meeting meant that an amendment councillors thought they had approved to set up an advisory group to look at Hop Oast park and ride was unlawful.
In order for readers to make up their own minds on the subject, the County Times invited the council to place its official recording of the meeting in the public domain – which it agreed to do so.
Below, we have printed a few extracts from the debate, but you can listen to the meeting in full by clicking on the link.
NB: the recording starts after 15 seconds.
33.50 - Clive Burgess (LDem, Horsham Park) tables his adjourned motion, calling for the council to scrap the 153,000 annual Hop Oast park and ride subsidy.
Mr Burgess' motion is seconded by David Sheldon (LDem, Denne).
Mr Burgess says: "It will have chalked up losses of 750,000 by the end of this financial year.
"Park and ride cannot continue to be subsidised by this council."
42.35 - Local economy chief Philip Circus (Con, Chanctonbury) tells the council this administration wants to make a success of park and ride.
"The main reason, it seems to me, for maintaining park and ride, or one of the main reasons, is that it makes parking in the town centre a very great deal easier.
"The fact is if we did away with park and ride there would be a much greater pressure on the town centre."
44.53 - Leader of the Lib Dem group Dr David Holmes (LDem, Horsham Park) asks for the council's long term parking strategy to be explained to members.
"The 1,000 per user per annum that this is costing does flag up the fact that this requires more consideration than perhaps it is getting."
47.00 - Peter Rowlinson (Con, Itchingfield. Slinfold and Warnham) calls the motion mischievous.
"I consider this motion is short termism of the worst kind and we would be exceedingly foolish to go along with it."
49.35 - Robert Nye (Con, Itchingfield, Slinfold, Warnham) calls the motion a form of 'silo mentality' and denies the Hop Oast car park is only 30 per cent full.
"The car park was built to twice the size that it was intended to be, so on that basis, at this point in time, it is actually 75 per cent full of its intended capacity at this point in time."
53.50 - The council's Conservative leader Liz Kitchen (Con, Rusper and Colgate) calls on her cabinet to consider the County Times suggestion to cut park and ride charges during the week, in the next year or two.
"I have to say it is something I would still like to ask cabinet to look at in a year or two's time depending on how it goes and how it fills up."
59.10 - Leonard Crosbie (LDem, Trafalgar) calls for an amendment to Mr Burgess' substantive motion, forcing the cabinet member for the local economy to create an advisory group to look into the future of park and ride in the short and long term.
"(We need to] hack through this very delicate issue, very difficult issue, very expensive issue and try and integrate it into the parking strategy and look at it objectively and come back to the council through the cabinet member with recommendations."
1.07.54 - Mr Crosbie tables his advisory group amendment.
Sally Horner (LDem, Broadbridge Heath) seconds.
"There is a lot that we have to discuss and I think it would be the most sensible way forward to have an advisory group," Mrs Horner says.
1.10.40 - Mr Circus says he will give active consideration to Mr Crosbie's suggestion.
1.11.27 - Christine Costin (LDem, Trafalgar): "It's all getting to be a muddle."
1.12.02 - George Cockman (Ind, Steyning) insists Mr Circus would have to accept the terms of Mr Crosbie's amendment if it was carried.
"He would have to respond to it in the terms in which it was proposed."
1.13.36 - Chief executive Tom Crowley attempts to clarify the situation with the amendment and substantive motion.
"If this amendment, when it comes to it, is carried it would have the effect of replacing the substantive motion.
"I just wanted to make sure that people were clear about that."
1.30.11 - Mr Circus: "I'm happy to give an assurance that in relation to the next review I will set up a consultative group, or an advisory group, of all the members of the council who want to be involved to discuss that review so every member has an input to that process.
"I don't know what more I can offer."
1.38.57 - Mr Cockman asks Mr Circus to commit to launch the advisory group in January.
"We could sort this out now and I think everybody in this chamber would be very grateful."
1.39.22 - Mr Circus: "I don't understand why we are debating this.
"I gave an assurance.
"Perhaps councillor Crosbie doesn't believe me.
"All right, we will start discussing this in January, though I frankly think that what we are seeing here, I think, is a wrecking amendment."
1.40.22 - Mr Crosbie: "That statement is provocative in my judgment.
"This is not a wrecking amendment."
1.41. 20 - Council chairman Roger Patterson calls a vote on the amendment.
1.41.58 - The amendment is carried.
1.42.17 - Mr Burgess withdraws his substantive motion.
"Having been here for just five months, I'm amazed it's taken us this long to get here."
3.13.53 - Mr Circus is jeered by council members and members of the public as he appears to back track on his previous assurance to set-up the park and ride advisory group in January.
"As far as I'm concerned I gave council a most generous offer.
"This council, in its wisdom, passed an amendment and I am bound by that amendment and in the light of that I will decide what is appropriate.
"And if January is appropriate, it's appropriate."
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Friday 25 May 2012
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