At the 9th October Environment, Transport & Sustainability Committee, Labour presented the 2017/18 Parking Annual Report. Labour lauded that a windfall surplus of £2.3M raised through parking fees and fines was to be spent on highway maintenance projects such as repairing potholes, pavements and road surfaces. This was in addition to the £1.352M allocated this year to the City by the Conservative Government.
Who Is Making The Decision?
At Committee, the Conservative Group asked for information on where the £2.3M would actually be spent, who made the decision and how was it accounted for in budgets. Labour advised the answer was complex and would provide a briefing.
With no briefing materialising, Conservative spokesperson, Cllr. Lee Wares formally submitted a question to the forthcoming 27th November Committee asking why no briefing had been provided and why the secrecy.
£1.83m Seems To Have Disappeared...
However, in a briefing paper now provided to Committee Members, Labour are advising that a windfall surplus of only £0.47M has been allocated (instead of £2.3M); a reduction in £1.83M.
Cllr Lee Wares
Cllr. Lee Wares said “After being forced to chase this information, we now discover that £1.83M seems to have just disappeared. Either the Labour Administration, in light of the Government’s recent cash boost, has decided to secretly “move” the cash elsewhere or the original report with all its fanfare and hype was wholly incorrect and misleading.”
This Typifies Labour’s Shambolic Approach...
Cllr. Wares added “This typifies Labour’s shambolic approach to the City’s finances. Was the report incorrect or has the money been secretly diverted elsewhere? We hope that at the November Committee, Labour will come clean on the £1.83M, tell us where it has gone and answer the original outstanding questions or admit that the Annual Report was wrong and misleading.”