Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Parking Charges Increase - Call-in successful
I was at the Overview & Scrutiny call-in last night. The Labour cabinet will have to think again on their plans to increase parking charges by 115% in town centres after the Council’s ‘watchdog’ committee agreed with Liberal Democrats last night (Wed 8th Dec 2010) that proposals should be reviewed. Cllr Lyn Weber was successful in persuading the committee that the Council had failed to carry out a full impact assessment on how the hikes in parking charges will affect local businesses.
The scrutiny committee unanimously recommended to the cabinet that a full impact assessment is carried out and the increase in charges for Green Lanes, Muswell Hill and Crouch End pay and display are reconsidered. A cabinet meeting will now be convened to consider the recommendations within the next five working days.
Cllr Karen Alexander
Tags for Forum Posts: high street parking, high streets
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by JeremyS on
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Thanks for the update Karen, but I'm not convinced it's necessarily good news for people who live in Harringay. Most of the Green Lanes parking is used by people who don't live in the area.
I'm impressed with the traders ability to organise and get their way. But their voice seems to have a disproportionate strength. That can't be right, can it?
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Permalink Reply by Karen Alexander on
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I agree that a blanket approach to parking is ridiculous particularly as Green Lanes, Muswell Hill and Crouch End are vastly different and unique in their own ways and the variety of different people they attract.
The decision being referred back to cabinet I would hope will mean that all the charges will be looked at again, including resident and visitor permits which will (under the present proposals) rise disproportionately - that benefits all of us.
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Permalink Reply by matt on
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.... looked at again, including resident and visitor permits.
But Karen, your post doesn't talk about these points, only reconsideration of charges for parking outside shops (ie. pay & display). We're interested in the rip off rise in the resident permit fee being reversed. What is being done about this?
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Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on
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I agree, Matt. It was unhelpful to call-in only the stop-&-shop increases - and ignore the other charges hikes.
On 8 December I sent a written submission to the Scrutiny Committee which raised the following key points - and several more.
● Is a price hike of this size actually needed to balance the Parking Account?
● Is it fair? No Equalities Impact Assessment has yet been done.
● Is it legal? Especially since the Parking Account already has a surplus of over £3 million and with higher charges is estimated to rise to £4.4 million.
I pointed out that a decision of this importance and magnitude should be made on the basis of clear robust evidence. In my view, such evidence was not supplied either to the Cabinet or to the Scrutiny Committee.
As HoL members may have seen, separately, John McMullan and I formally asked for more information. John made a Freedom of Information request; I sent in some councillor’s enquiries. Replies are overdue to both of us. I was promised full replies by Thursday 9 December. Instead, yesterday (10 December) I was told my request had been referred to John Suddaby, the Council’s Head of Legal Services, for his “advice and clarification”.
Meanwhile, the cabinet is meeting on Monday 13 December to consider the Scrutiny Committee’s recommendation.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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Permalink Reply by John McMullan on
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@Michelle, have you ever done the mathematics involved in your "just dropping in for a pint of milk"? More to the point, have you considered what would happen if EVERYONE did it?
Try one of these.
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Permalink Reply by 038nqvsgvlmp5 on
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I was born and brought up in Haringey, my family have been residents here for more than 40 years and two years ago I decided enough was enough and moved out, why? One of the main reasons was being ripped off by Haringey Council.
I don’t understand why I should pay more to the council for the size of my car's engine; I already pay more road tax for the privilege and not to mention tax at the pump.
I was uncomfortable when the cpz charges were bought in but it was an easy amount to pay at £25 so I just got on with life. But increasingly I was finding it difficult to park outside my own home due to the sheer number of cars. It was when the cost of the permits shot up to £95 and the problem of parking and traffic flow had, in my opinion, since the permits were introduced got worse that I decided my days of living in Haringey were over.
Now that I have moved out of Haringey my driving life is a lot easier I have more money to spend in local shops which is good for the local economy, traffic flows freely and there are dedicated carparks for people to use when shopping locally. I can get from A to B quicker saving petrol and the environment without stupid bollards in the way or crazy “traffic calming” measures in place.
I now have great pleasure driving through Haringey to get to work in my massive 3 litre vehicle knowing I’m no longer paying a stupid stealth tax to those crooks at Haringey council.
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Andy, good for you for moving out. That's one less citizen in Haringey obsessed with his big engine, I'll drive anywhere mentality.
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@Andy... is this a wind up post? It's just that, you haven't put a lot of thought into it.
Do you believe that companies and individuals who pollute should pay for their pollution? Do you appreciate that as car ownership has increased (encouraged by a government reliant on a heavily motor vehicle centric economy) there has been less space to park your car and drive it too?
It's OK, Claire Kober is going to introduce a congestion charge and we'll be able to tax you for driving through the borough.
I seriously hope you left for more reason than just the CPZ charges...
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Permalink Reply by BBU on
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Will this be one of those "we'll only increase it by 15% this year and then next year we'll increase it by a further 120%" solutions?
I agree with what Michelle is saying.
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@Alan - can you clarify whether it is only the revenue from parking that is ring fenced for "supporting" activities or is it the revenue plus the interest that it earns?
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This evening 13 December, the Council "cabinet" is considering the decision of the Scrutiny Committee. I've just been notified that the papers are online here:
People interested may want to look in particular at the Second Despatch. This is a report by Niall Bolger Director of Urban Environment which recommends that the price-hikes stand. In it you'll see that the overall justification for increases has now become even vaguer than previously.
Because the call-in focussed on Pay & Display increases, understandably, the report also focuses on that topic. Curiously, the increases in Pay & Display are said to be (para 7.1) "based on traffic management considerations". Although the Cabinet is also asked to note: "that within the Pay and Display category (medium & high demand) the proposed changes would generate additional £0.9m revenue in a full year".
The existing Parking Account surplus of £3.1 million is shown. With a specific problem highlighted of anticipated need for an extra £2 million - including for concessionary fares. (para 7.3)
I was amused to see that The Parking Charges Review 2010 seems to have been airbrushed out. It's not referred to in the list of background papers. So I have to assume that it's being kept away from Cabinet members as well as me. Also intriguing is the lack of any specific legal advice on the legality of these increases.
(Tottenham Hale ward councillor)
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The Cabinet hasn't made the decision yet, Michelle. So you and other residents could email them.
claire.kober@haringey.gov.uk; lorna.reith@haringey.gov.uk; bernice.vanier@haringey.gov.uk; joe.goldberg@haringey.gov.uk; toni.mallett@haringey.gov.uk; nilgun.canver@haringey.gov.uk; john.bevan@haringey.gov.uk; dilek.dogus@haringey.gov.uk
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