Torbay Council to review parking charges

NEW parking charges and rules brought in by Torbay Council are to be reviewed.

Deputy conservative leader on Torbay Council Cllr Robert Excell said even some fellow councillors had been 'caught unawares' by the new charges, which were agreed at full council in October and brought in before the council budget was agreed.

"We are having a review," he said. "We are sitting around a table and will look at what needs to be done."

"Sometimes things have to be tested to see if they work. If they don't work we go back to the drawing board. At the same time, we need to balance the books so it is a fine line. It did catch some people unawares."

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But some want more answers over how the changes were brought in.

Labour Cllr Darren Cowell says he felt 'duped' by the final format of the new charges.

He will be formally asking the mayor to review the situation at full council on March 1.

Cllr Cowell said: "While recognising the importance of income from car parking, we have to be mindful of the real struggle our town centres and local traders are suffering.

"I feel duped by the administration that the increase to tariffs actually agreed at full council in October was later changed. And what was supposed to have been a seasonal tariff morphed in to the one we have now.

"The October council meeting approved a review of tariffs, but I for one did not interpret that as allowing a senior councillor to abolish seasonal tariffs.

"I have asked senior councillors who have been involved in this process to undertake an urgent review of the prices and for the overview and scrutiny board to investigate the whole consultative process. We must investigate how the change in tariffs was allowed to be slipped through without council approval."