We are going to have a General Election in a few weeks time. Although the PM has not announced the date the bet is that it will be combined with the Local Government Elections on 6 May. Unlike many countries we don't have fixed term elections. The incumbents decide, within a maximum term, when to seek re-election. What this means is that for the next weeks and months we will have the unedifying sight of supposedly grown up politicians alternating between calls for a "mature" debate on the serious matters of the day and behaving like spoilt brats as they catcall and jeer at each other. Well this week they managed to get round to parking. The current system was introduced in 1991 (Tory) and overhauled in 2004 (Labour) so not much choice on who is to blame.
Anyway Tory MP Caroline Spelman decided that it was a good wheeze to use parking charges to attack the government. She said past Labour policies had meant that "Stressed-out drivers now have to run the gauntlet of unfair parking fines, soaring parking charges and a lack of parking spaces. Conservatives will call off Labour's war on the motorist, and work to provide more parking spaces to help small shops prosper in local high streets and assist mums struggling with their family shop." Apparently municipal parking income has increased from £290m to £490m since labour came to power. Sadly for Ms Spelman the biggest earners are Conservative run Councils so perhaps a case of "do what we say, not what we do"?
And good news perhaps for JHV; Ms Spelman said a Tory Government would scrap the restrictions on the number of parking places in new developments. As someone once said those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat its mistakes.
Comments