Parking Disasters Under Labour

12.42.48pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 27th May 2007

Lambeth motorists courted by Labour as their friend during the run-up to the local elections last May are now discovering the true cost of Labour's smooth-talking. Lib Dem councillor Andrew Sawdon says "Remember Labour's campaigns on parking? And how they said they were going to have a 'softly, softly' approach? Maybe, if you are a permit-holder you have already had a letter (sent out at the residents' expense) telling you that everything's improved. Here's some things Labour won't admit":

Liberal Democrats have discovered that the number of parking tickets issued in December 2006, January 2007 and February 2007 was actually 2,000 higher than for the same months the year before. One camera alone on a box junction in Streatham is making the equivalent of a million pounds a year! In fact, in every month but one since winning the May 2006 elections, the number of parking tickets issued has risen (in one month alone it was 3,500 tickets higher). The number of tickets being appealed against has also risen. Under Labour, over 80% of appeals result in the motorist not having to pay - less than one in five results in council getting the fine. So many motorists think penalties are unfair that there is three to five month backlog in processing local appeals.

Labour falsely claimed that incentives were being used by the Council through its private parking contractor to ticket motorists unfairly. The acid test of Labour's supposed fairer parking strategy since they took control of Lambeth would therefore be to see parking tickets numbers fall - which they haven't done - and income levels plunge. But a report has shown that Labour's much-heralded parking changes were always meant to be 'revenue neutral' - in other words if fewer tickets are issued in one area more have to be issued in another.

The Liberal Democrats pledged to bring the parking service back 'in house', so that the service was not profiteering from motorists. However, Labour chose to maintain the contract with the private contractor they were previously so critical of.

Other blows to hit Labour include the scandal of a resident's car being towed away and crushed while they were on holiday. In another incident reported in the Evening Standard, a road in Brixton was closed off by police because of a shooting; although people who had parked their cars in the cordoned-off zone couldn't get to their cars, Lambeth parking attendants managed to get in and ticketed them or got them towed away! They crushed a £30k vintage car, after they failed to recognise the exemption badge. A woman was ticketed while stopped in a bay to breast-feed her baby.

Parking tickets

And if Lambeth's motorists think this is bad enough, they have yet to receive their massively increased parking permit bills. Labour have decided to charge people for having electric cars, and doubled charges for dual fuel and small cars. Parking permits have doubled from £60 to an average £115 - and potentially £200.