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A COUNCILLOR said there is an “ulterior motive” behind the proposed changes to Wokingham borough’s car parks.
Earlier this month, the borough council said it is making car parks “operational” all day, everyday.
Highways leader, Cllr Pauline Jorgensen, said this would help tackle anti-social behaviour in the car parks, giving the council power to kick people out of them.
But a councillor, who has spoken to the Local Democracy Reporting Service on the condition of anonymity, said the proposed changes to Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO) would allow the council to change parking charges without consultation.
“The council saying that the reason for this is to make the car parks operational 24/7 is incorrect, because our CCTV has been used, and is designed to be used to tackle anti-social behaviour,” they said.
“If the [TRO changes] go through, what that potentially means is that the council could change parking charges without consultation.”
He said the current process for changing car parking charges involves issuing a TRO, which legally requires consultation.
“What they want to do is change the charging rates from hourly rates to bands, and with charging bands there will be no more need for consultation,” he said. “I think that impacts democracy.”
The councillor added: “Car parking charges are basically one of the three things residents worry about, rightly or wrongly. To remove the right to comment on future changes I think is wrong.”
The proposed changes have been opposed publicly by Cllr Shirley Boyt, Labour councillor for Bulmershe and Whitegates, who called the changes “a scam” and “utter nonsense.”
Cllr Boyt said that anti-social car meets rarely happen in Woodley.
“Police could look at that CCTV, they could then make arrests. I don’t see why these changes have to be set in motion to get the police to act,” she said. “Why does the council need a TRO change in order to enforce the law? It’s utter nonsense.
“I’ve never had anyone complain to me about anti-social behaviour in these car parks.”
On Tuesday, September 28, the Conservative-controlled Woodley Town Council unanimously voted to oppose the proposed TRO changes in a motion by Cllr Mark Green, Conservative councillor for Bulmershe.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service asked the borough council whether the TRO changes are being used to allow the council to change parking charges without consultation.
A council spokesman declined to answer the claim specifically, but reiterated that the changes would allow the car parks to be technically operational 24/7, to ensure that they are used for car parking not car meets.
The borough council previously stated that there would be no changes to car parking charges as part of the recent proposals.
They include a series of Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) that would also allow it to install electric vehicle charging bays in any off-street car park, extend operating hours to “at all times” including on bank holidays and launch a “check in, check out” system to eliminate a need for paper tickets.
The council is also introducing 15 minutes of free parking at Dinton Pastures’ activity centre, alongside 30 minutes of free parking at its Shute End offices on weekdays.
A new one hour stay restriction will be brought in to support shops in the California Cross area too.
More information is available on the council’s website, and the deadline for feedback is Thursday, October 7.
