Sunday 20 February 2011

Barnet's bad news Sunday - parking fees in the Express

Barnet council's cabinet meeting on Monday 14 February (a week is a long time in Barnet politics) features in this exposé by the Express, "Council car fees rip-off":
Barnet Council’s income from parking fees has more than doubled in four years from £2.2million to £4.7million.

Police were called to a council meeting last week after residents in the north London borough protested at plans to double the cost of parking permits this year and raise the cost of a three-month visitor permit 400 per cent to £240.
There are a couple of useful websites if you are interested in the campaign against CPZ fee rises in Barnet: the CPZ Action Group and dino.co.uk, featuring a great poster!

And two petitions: "We are not cash cows..." on the Barnet council website and "Stop Barnet council's increased motoring taxes" on GoPetition.

A number of residents are mounting a legal challenge over the CPZ fee rises; I hope they will still turn out to lobby the council meeting on Tuesday 1 March from 6pm at Hendon Town Hall. This is the evening that the council ratifies the budget adopted by the Cabinet on Monday night.

4 comments:

David Duff said...

Just so I am clear, because these days I am easily confused, is the bad news you refer to in your title the rise in parking dues, or the fact that it was reported in The Express? My dear, The Express, simply too, too! Where is The Grauniad when you need it? Too busy counting their tax avoidance monies in the Caymen Islands, I suppose!

baarnett said...

Neither, I think.

It was the bad news that Barnet Council's press office spinners had lost control of the story.

So it was the bad news for Barnet Council.

Citizen Barnet said...

Correct, Baarnett. It would work better if I followed it up with a bad news Monday story, but I haven't found one today... yet.

baarnett said...

Well, there's a bad news story for a certain Libyan leader...