Liberal Democrats throw down gauntlet over parking meters

12.00.00am GMT Fri 21st Mar 2008

Liberal Democrat Councillors and residents are fighting Labours' Parking Meters

A council decision to impose parking meters in Littleover Village is to be challenged.

Last week the Council's Labour Cabinet member for Transport made the decision to go ahead with putting parking meters into Littleover, on an experimental basis for 6 - 18 months. This was despite huge opposition from residents.

Liberal Democrats councillors want the decision to be subject to a "call in".

This would allow the decision to be looked at by councillors on one of the council's overview and scrutiny commissions. Local councillors could present evidence to the commission, and members of the commission could challenge the Labour Cabinet member who took the decision to explain why he forced the parking meter decision through.

Littleover Liberal Democrat Cllr Les Allen who is organising the challenge said "Lots of people have contacted me since the council took the decision to install parking meters into Littleover. They cannot understand why local people's knowledge of the area and total opposition to the meters is being ignored.

The council are not yet supporting the call in. They have classified the decision as only affecting one ward, but local councillors consider that it will have a much wider impact. More than half the 2000 plus people who signed the petition against the meters live outside Littleover ward.

Liberal Democrat councillors are now challenging the classification. They want the decision reclassified as a 'key' decision which would allow the call in.

Cllr Allen continued "If we are unsuccessful in getting the decision reclassified, we shall refer the issue to the Local Government Ombudsman for an independent view of the situation."