16 Oct 2024
Should SADC set aside finances to pay for a public consultation before balancing its budget?
That is the thinking behind a motion going to tonight’s meeting of Full Council.
It has been submitted Cllr Matt Cowley in the wake of the Harpenden on-street car parking controversy of recent months.
Following publicity in the St Albans Times the council administration agreed to hold a public consultation on the proposals to charge visitors to park in the town, which were included in the budget as a way of raising £185K for 2024/25 and almost £268K in subsequent years.
The motion proposes: “That the council acknowledges and apologies for the distress and loss of trust in this council the lack of consultation during the previous budget setting process on parking charges in Harpenden has caused; agrees to put proposed budget measures for 2025/26 out for a full consultation at a cost equivalent to the Reg 18 Local Plan (£8,500); notes that funding this consultation out of councillor allowances would cost an equivalent of £150 per councillor; given that the Monitoring Officer has advised it is not possible to request or require councillors to donate money from their allowances, council agrees to explore options at the 2025/26 budget setting process to allocate funding for future consultations.”
Cllr Cowley said: “The Harpenden parking charge fiasco has shown how important it is that we bring residents with us in the difficult decisions we have to make at the district council. Now is the time to start rebuilding trust with residents, so I hope the Liberal Democrat administration will back my motion to hold a full consultation on next year’s budget – so that residents can have confidence that their voice will be heard.”
