“Deja Vu

Yet again Torbay Council is headline news on BBC Spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

The matter of council employee's free parking was well publicised some 7 years ago with all the usual clap-trap by councillors about 'something must be done' and 'discussions with staff and unions' but, predictably, the matter was kicked into the long grass and soon forgotten.

The only thing changed - many of the councillors then are still in place - is the fact that the number of free passes has increased from 1,100 to above 1,300 (so much for local government staff cut-backs).

Who can blame employees from taking advantage of such a valuable perk? Certainly not me as I, in their position, would be first in line.

What is particularly irksome to those of us who have gone through life in the unsubsidised private sector is that a goodly number of the recipients of this freebie spend time thinking up jolly good wheezes to make life more difficult, and more expensive, for the rest of us with increased regulation, more yellow lines, empire building CPZ's and planning regulation that demands sustainable transport infrastructure. Whilst all the time, of couse, none of the above affects the bods thinking up all this nonsense. I give the farcical history of parking regulation on Torbay Road Torre Abbey Sands as an example.

Passing through Torquay seafront today at lunch-time I see just one van parked - a council/Tor2 vehicle. So we have all those people who used to park freely and perhaps spend a pound or three in town now missing - what profit for this failing town-centre in that?”

By Azriel22