Roger Gambba-Jones

LETTER: Adding further confusion to car parking

I note that Coun Brewis has started his election campaign early, by adding further to the misunderstanding of the legally required notice recently posted in all South Holland District Council car parks.

The purpose of the notice was to inform the public that SHDC needs to amend the existing off street parking enforcement order, so that parking fee payment machines, that offer users enhanced payment options, can be used in Spalding.

The notice is only a summary of the amended order. The previous order has been in place since 2012 and that order was a combination of the individual orders that were in place at that time. This process is time consuming and expensive for the taxpayers. Therefore, ensuring that the amended order covers all options, including those that there are currently no intentions of applying universally, such as parking fees and electric charging points, makes sound financial sense.

The order alone cannot introduce any operational changes, such as parking charges, changes to those charges, or changes to the procedures detailed in the enforcement order. Such changes can only be implemented using the district council’s democratic processes. So despite Coun Brewis’s conspiracy theories, the only council that can make these decisions is South Holland.

However, Coun Brewis’s unfounded paranoia has had one benefit. Previous publication of his letter pointed out a typographical error, mistakenly copied from the 2012 order. This relates to the location of the SHDC car park in Sutton Bridge. Correcting this will ensure that once adopted, all elements of the revised order will be applicable to the Sutton Bridge car park as and when required.

Coun Roger Gambba-Jones
Portfolio Holder for Place
Chairman Planning Committee

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