theWest End andDementia
rules so that charges and restrictions will apply until midnight, meaning that someone who comes to spend the evening at a show or eatery will now have pay more than £20 for an evening’s parking. Not likely to promote trade. They also are increasing meter charges. Not surprising the West End the- atres and restaurants are not happy bunnies. Now, I know what JVH says about free
parking, and to an extent I agree, but the situ- ation is rather different here. It’s aboutmoney. Charges are being raised to “harmonize” with adjacent boroughs, but when the other bor- oughs had lower charges, they weren’t brought
down.Meter charges are said not to go above inflation (less than 5%), but in one zone they will double. The City Council proposes that residents
with parking permits would be exempt from the new enforcement structure, but that’s not legal. True, they can opt to let a resident park on a meter, but they can’t have a no-parking restriction that applies to one type of car but
not to another. The government explained this more than 30 years ago. Councilor Danny Chalkley,Westminster Council’s cabinet mem- ber for citymanagement, evenmanages to link the change to the London Olympics in 2012, but the truth seems to be rather simpler. The council, which has one of the lowest
rates (local tax) in London, is looking for an extra £14m, and the parking account is an obvi- ous target. I wonder just howmanymore times the government and the courts will have to tell councils that they can’t operate parking to makemoney before themessage will sink in?
Editor’s note: Don’t faint, Peter, but I
agree with you on theWest End parking fiasco. This is a classic case of raising rates to make money, not to provide better parking. The free market isn’t working; it’s the ability of the city to collect money. It’s just another way to tax folks. JVH
Oh, for God’s sake! Continued on Page 30
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