30 Nov 2024
The divide between St Albans district and Harpenden town councillors is growing ever wider as the controversy over on-street parking fees shows no sign of dissipating.
With the campaign for May’s county council elections now underway, local Liberal Democrats remain torn over the issue, with Harpenden MP Victoria Collins staying well out of the fight. Monday’s meeting of the town council saw it unanimously pass a motion resolving to strongly object to recently announced modified proposals on parking fees.
HTC highlighted their significant concerns regarding the impact of charges on local businesses and the wider community.
It also strongly objected to the introduction of any paid parking in the High Street; and suggested SADC deliver an alternative proposal of allowing one hour free parking – with no return within one hour, and no option to remain longer than one hour – and through a more effective approach to enforcement.
The public part of the meeting was followed by a restricted section, the contents of which have not been disclosed.
Harpenden district councillor Matt Cowley spoke at the meeting in an attempt to persuade HTC to pick up the revenue shortfall which SADC claims the charges would fill.
He said afterwards: “Stopping the introduction of parking charges that will irreparably damage our High Street is the top priority for our local Conservative team. Cllr Griffiths and I attended the town council meeting on Monday night to hear about the town council’s planned next steps.
“Whilst I am confident the Conservative Group at district will be able to bring budget proposals that will allow councillors to think again about these parking charges during the forthcoming budget round, I am keen that we do all that we can to ensure that they aren’t introduced to fill the alleged budget gap this year.
“Therefore I asked the town council whether they would consider providing financial support to cover the estimated £34K revenue this financial year that would be achieved by bringing in charges in January.
“Whilst the town council did not vote to do this, I will continue to work with Conservative colleagues to oppose the introduction of these parking charges.”
The St Albans Times asked SADC to answer technical questions still outstanding over the proposals.
Q. Why did council officers create the TRO without councillor involvement?
A. It is the duty of the council to manage the road network in our area having regard to our obligations, policies and objectives, so officers instigate reviews of existing restrictions with this duty in mind.
Additionally, requests for reviews of existing or for new traffic orders come from many different sources including residents, developers, and councillors. All Traffic Orders are managed in accordance with legislation and strictly follow the statutory procedures for making orders.
Q. SADC officers say it’s not about the money – why is this in contrast to comments made by councillors who say that is the main reason?
A. The council has a strategic objective that the cost of providing parking services should be met from the income received from fees and charges and that parking charges should, where appropriate, encourage more sustainable methods of transport. To the extent that running a substantial deficit in on-street parking conflicts with our overarching need to balance our council revenue budget, “money” is a strategic consideration. Individual orders, however, are not proposed or determined on financial considerations, but on the merits of the scheme and achieving the improvement set out in the Statement of Reasons:
https://www.stalbans.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Statement%20Of%20Reasons.pdf
Q. SADC has introduced non-direct costs into the parking accounts in the last two years – what are these for and why were they introduced?
A. This is just a presentational matter. Previous parking reports had a line called Support Costs which covered the central service costs. The more recent reports have this on a separate line called Non Direct costs and Depreciation.
Q. Why have parking officers not provided any cost or income projections for the revised scheme?
A. Costs and income projections will be revised once the final decision on the order is taken.
Q. How does the TRO meet SADC’s priority assessment goals?
A. This is set out in the Statement of Reasons.
Q. Will SADC consider handing over Harpenden parking services to the town council, in much the same way that they now run the town’s parks and green spaces?
A. The ability to set parking charges sits with Hertfordshire County Council who choose to delegate some functions to us. It is under this provision that we are able to make Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs). Therefore, it would be for the county council to consider if they can delegate the ability to make the orders to Harpenden Town Council.
The final decision on the parking proposals is due to be made by SADC’s strategic director of community and place delivery Chris Traill, working in consultation with Cllr Helen Campbell, the lead for car parking.
Ms Traill, who lives in Leicester, is one of several senior council officers who don’t reside in the district.
We asked the authority to reveal how many of the 28 officers who make up the senior team at SADC don’t live in the district, and if they are expected to visit a minimum amount of times per year?
We also wanted to know whether there is a statutory requirement for the SADC senior team to live in the district, and can officers be expected to understand the community they serve if they don’t have an emotional attachment to the place?
An SADC spokesperson responded: “Our officers work closely with councillors, the locally-elected representatives of our various communities, and are well aware of the views of residents, businesses and other organisations about the issues we deal with every day.
“We also regularly consult with the public and stakeholders, paying due regard to all of the feedback we receive.
“Around 40 per cent of our staff live and work in the district they serve, with others coming in from a wider catchment area as you would expect with house prices locally being amongst the highest in the country.”
