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Regional daily triumphs in car parking battle

A regional daily has won its year-long campaign to stop town centre parking charges being imposed across the county it covers.

Carlisle’s News & Star is celebrating victory in its “Keep Our Streets Free” campaign, launched after Cumbria County Council announced it planned to raise nearly £1m in on-street parking fees to offset budget cuts.

The scheme was slammed by local businesses fearing closure and residents threatened with having to pay to park outside their homes.

The News & Star repeatedly questioned the legality of using parking fees to supplement depleted council coffers over the course of the campaign.

Newsandstar

Associate editor Anne Pickles said: “The paper was told it had taken on a battle it could not win. The charges would be introduced in the new year.

“At the outset, we were cautioned by the council to choose our fights more wisely.

“Throughout the campaign – which galvanised countywide protest – we were told there would be no turning back. We would not win.

“To be honest, we weren’t at all sure we could win. But we knew we had to fight for what was right.”

Cumbria County Council has announced it is scrapping the scheme, having taken legal advice.

Anne added: “Local opinion about the needs of local people has triumphed over authority advising communities to do as they’re told.

“This was a case of the local paper working with local people for what was the best chance for local communities to prosper.”

Council leader Stewart Young said: “Having asked local people for their views on these matters, we must listen to them.

“Charges without robust enforcement undermine the legitimacy of the policy.”

5 comments

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  • November 19, 2014 at 8:40 am
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    “good news well done” I live in Islington and I have a blue badge yet still I have managed to get more than 20 parking tickets I almost feel under house arrest. shame on you Islington council, plus I could now lose my home due to bedroom tax ( £170.00 ) per month. I am being treated for breast cancer copd and unfortunately other extreme debilitating conditions, I wish Islington council was looked into as im sure im not the only one being hard hit by my local authority. once again well done in fair play

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  • November 19, 2014 at 10:36 am
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    Congratulations!

    Could you come down and have a look at the damage this Green Council has done recently?

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  • November 20, 2014 at 12:23 pm
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    Well done CN – The introduction of parking charges killed my home town (Southport) .

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  • November 21, 2014 at 10:02 am
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    Cumbria county council (CCC) from the outset of this scheme stated it was needed `to balance the books,` yet the law is so clear on this and they chose to ignore the law. There was no mention this was `needed` for the relief of traffic congestion for quite some months.

    http://www.racfoundation.org/assets/rac_foundation/content/downloadables/barnet_parking_case_judgment_220713.pdf

    The above link is the recent Barnet case which they lost, Mrs Justice Lang judgement was made so clearly yet CCC appeared to have great difficulty in understanding it.

    Mrs Justice Lang said that the 1984 Road Traffic Regulation Act “IS NOT A FISCAL MEASURE AND DOES NOT AUTHORISE THE AUTHORITY TO USE ITS POWERS TO CHARGE LOCAL RESIDENTS FOR PARKING IN ORDER TO RAISE SURPLUS REVENUE FOR OTHER TRANSPORT PURPOSES”.

    Now we have a case of CCC attempting to deflect blame onto those of us who dared to complain and protest, we had already withstood threats of closure of care homes if we did not shut up.

    CCC still believe that they can force this scheme through some time in the future

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