9 hours ago
Mayor of seaside town condemns his OWN council over plans to charge residents £70 to park outside their own homes
The mayor of a seaside town has condemned his own council over proposals to charge residents £70 to park outside their own homes.
George Farquhar claimed he knew nothing about the contentious plans which are in response to visitors to Bournemouth parking across driveways, on pavements, grass verges and even roundabouts.
The Liberal Democrat-led Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council argue that pirate parkers are happy to pay the existing £35 maximum fine so sterner measures are needed.
Miles of road are set to be littered with new meters under the scheme, including the residential areas of Sandbanks, Canford Cliffs, Branksome Chine, Westcliff, Boscombe and Southbourne.
But this means home owners will pick up the slack, paying £70 per car on their own streets.
Mr Farquhar, who is originally from Dunfermline, Scotland is leading the fight to stop the parking scheme in its tracks.
He said: 'This time next year we could all be paying between £70 to £252 for a pay-to-park permit.
'We only heard about this consultation a day before it was made public. As such we have had no approach made for our feedback on parking issues in the neighbourhood or how to tackle them.
'Since I moved from a Permit Zone in north London in 2011, I know the drawbacks, and I have been against parking permits here in Bournemouth, ever since I moved.'
The mayor insisted that neither the fines nor the new permits would put tourists off parking the car in disruptive places.
'Inconsiderate and illegal parking has occurred every hot summer weekend since I moved here and tickets are always issued,' he said.
'1000 plus tickets were issued last weekend, but not one of those 1000 plus parking tickets would or has deterred inconsiderate or illegal parking on hot weekends.
'£35 for a car-load of folk with beach gear is a bargain. To introduce permit parking would not change that selfish behaviour one iota.
'The fee for a parking ticket is the same if it is on a double yellow, across a driveway, on top of a roundabout, or on a piece of street with a permit scheme in place.
'However a Pay-to-Park street is a very lucrative revenue stream with the added bonus that it is low cost to administrate. A lucrative revenue stream all year round is the aim, nothing more, and it must be resisted.'
He added: 'The sun will continue to shine on just a few weekends every year, and a 1000 plus tickets will be issued to those who park inconsiderately or illegally regardless.
The mayor insisted that neither the fines nor the new permits would put the thousands of tourists, pictured on Bournemouth beach, off parking the car in disruptive places
Miles of road are to be littered with new meters under the scheme, including the residential areas of Sandbanks, Canford Cliffs, Branksome Chine, Westcliff, Boscombe and Southbourne
'But a permit parking scheme will have to be paid for by us residents every day of the year.'
The move has also sparked outrage among locals, who say they are being punished for people's bad behaviour, and businesses who fear the scheme will drive visitors away.
Peter Schroeder, the chairman of the Branksome Park Residents Association, called the plans 'stupid'.
He said: 'This proposal comes from the same council that is selling off key car parks. It is hypocrisy.
'We say no to residents paying to park their own cars on their own streets. We already have some of the highest council tax charges in the area.
'Charging residents and their guests and tradespeople doing work in houses and flats it a stupid idea.
'The council should give much stiffer penalties to those who do illegally park. £50 is probably nothing to them. If it was £1,000 they would think twice.'
Councillor Richard Herrett, portfolio holder for destination, leisure and commercial operations at BCP Council, said the extra revenue will pay for more tow-trucks to take away more illegally parked cars.
He said: 'We welcome more than 10 million visitors annually to our seafront.
'We know at busy times we have a significant issue with illegal or inconsiderate parking. This significantly impacts road safety and can affect the quality of life for local residents.
'These proposals to extend seafront paid-for parking could generate revenue for additional parking enforcement and give us the ability to better enforce illegal parking across a wider area including increasing the number of vehicles which could be towed away in the worst parking instances.'
