As Laymen, we noted this week on her social
media pages Labour Councillor Eileen Cartie who represents Wensleydale ward in
Blyth has brought the issue of Car Parking charges to the fore.
Her motives are well meant, she has brought the savage imposition of the Conservatives answer to overspending on pet projects such as their massive cosmetic luxury and waste of cash on resurfacing underused roads in the Countryside, by dipping their hands to cover the cost of those projects deeply into the pockets of the motorist.
The Tories who run the County Council have pushed car parking charges as an easy way to manage budgets since 2008 when the interim unitary county council for Northumberland was formed as the history of the former District Councils under their control was to charge as much as they could get away with to cover off the incompetence of former Tory administrations.
Councillor PeterJackson the then Leader of the Conservative and Independent Group on the County Council proposed to back free parking if every motorist in the County paid the Council £45 per year. After much debate and negotiation at a political level, records show that the Labour Party backed a motion to make all car parking free to helps trade CountyWide. they were beaten in the vote but managed to push an amendment through to keep parking free in South East Northumberland where it had been free for decades, a number of south east based non-Labour Councillors broke their whips and up until 2013 things remained unchanged.
After doing their sums in 2013 the Labour Group ran a report through Council making all car parking free unless a Parish Council objected on parking management grounds and that why for four years Seahouses, Craster and a few other tourist hotspots retained charges while the rest of the County was free. This was an enormous help for shoppers and increased the tourist pound spend in the County massively.
When the Tories won the 2017 election the charges began to creep back on. Led by the portfolio holder for Highways and Car Parking the current Leader of Council and farmer who stays on his land Glen Sanderson.
Councillor Sanderson who can probably afford to pay for any hike in charges is at it again on car parking and has run out his vision for extra charges from May this year.
Councillor Cartie is right to warn people
about this huge issue as the Beach car parks in Blyth are in the Ward she
represents with the Ranch car park close by. Labour are committed to retaining
free parking Countywide.
