COUNCIL leaders were last night accused of trying to fool the electorate after an apparent climbdown over plans to charge residents to park outside their homes.

The Labour and Lib Dem coalition Cabinet provoked uproar from residents when it agreed to charge residents for the first parking permit yet refused to guarantee them a space.

It was further revealed that most of the Cabinet wouldn't need to pay as they have driveways or garages.

The Daily Echo also launched our Parking Mad campaign demanding a U-turn.

Last night council leader June Bridle sought to draw a line under the row by pledging no new permit charges for at least 12 months.

Refusal

But she refused to rip up the hated policy and said higher charges may even be brought in for second permits.

Now, the council has been accused of merely shelving the plan because of the local government elections in May.

But Cllr Bridle insisted: "Why would we not approve a policy that at some stage in the future may be implemented?

There is no need to amend the policy. We will implement things as and when they are warranted."

Cabinet member for transport Jill Baston had defended the controversial plan saying it was fairer permit holders paid for the loss-making scheme rather than all taxpayers.

Confusion

But she created confusion when she was unable to confirm where and when the charges would be brought in.

The controversial policy says there should be more residents' parking zones outside the city centre where demand for spaces was high.

Yesterday the joint administration said: "It is not the intention for the administration to charge residents for the first car parking permit issued to a household. Neither party in the administration had any commitment to this issue in their budget, and this remains the case."

Cllr Bridle went further adding: "If it's this administration (in office) there will be no new charges in the next 12 months at least."

She said other options would be looked at to try to make the residents' parking scheme self-funding.

"It might be the second permit needs to be more expensive and you don't need to pay for the first," she said.

She said new zones would only be brought in if residents wanted them and again blamed residents not using their drives for creating the problem.

Conservative Transport spokesman councillor Gavin Dick said: "She is scrabbling around to try to get out of the mess she's in.

"It's an administration that doesn't know what it's doing. If they don't want to implement it let's have them pull the policy.

He added: "They're trying to fool the electorate by kicking it into the long grass. I think we need a more honest approach and a pledge to remove this policy before the May elections."

Peter Wirgman, chairman of the Southampton Federation of Residents' Associations, said the Cabinet had already made a "gaffe" by agreeing the policy adding: "I think they would find themselves a lot more popular if they just scrapped the whole thing."

Jean Wawman from the East Bassett Residents' Association, one of the city's largest, said the council had created a parking problem in her area by allowing the expansion of the university.

She said: "I think the policy should be removed completely at this stage."

Click on the links below to read the reports the councillors approved.


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