Worthing's Labour councillors accused of 'cash grab' amid new parking charge proposal - but decision is yet to be made

Worthing Borough Council’s Conservative group last week claimed hundreds of residents and visitors were ‘alarmed’ about plans to introduce new car parking charges at the currently free-to-use car parks at Sea Lane café, Marine Crescent and the Goring Road shops.

However, the Labour councillors – who run Worthing Council – said no final decision has been made.

Martin McCabe, cabinet member for regeneration, said: “As a responsible council, we are discussing all options ahead of our budget meeting on February 21 and if there are any new charges proposed, they will go out for public consultation.”

The Tories claimed Labour councillors were ‘planning a cash grab’ on the car parks, that have always been free-to-use, by introducing all-year-round charges.

Councillor Roy Barraclough, who represents residents in Goring ward, is leading a campaign to stop these charges being introduced – as he said they would have a ‘serious detrimental effect’ to the Goring area.

Mr Barraclough said: “This is nothing more than a cold-hearted money grab by a Labour Council who quite frankly have, in their first year in office, lost control of the books. This is a cynical attack on the motorists who are seen by them as an easy target.

"Yet, so many of those who come to the seafront to enjoy the beach and the Goring greenswards are local residents from across the town who come down to the seafront for their exercise and leisure. They are being hit in the pocket to pay for car parks they have already paid for in their council tax.”

In response, John Turley, cabinet member for resources, said the ‘budget shortfall’ the council faces this year is a ‘direct result of years of Conservative mismanagement’ of public money, nationally and locally.

He added: “Not only have our energy bills increased by over 200 per cent, we have a £2.8million housing and homelessness bill that has ballooned as a direct result of their lack of planning and investment to meet Worthing’s housing needs.

"We, however, are committed to spending public money wisely and to building good foundations for our town that have been so badly neglected by the Conservatives over so many years.”

The Conservative campaign against the proposal has received hundreds of responses from residents and visitors

The Tories said there are fears the popular car parks – that attract thousands of residents and out-of-town visitors – will lead to cars spilling out into neighbouring roads. They say it will ‘cause parking mayhem’ and that local businesses will lose customers.

“I am grateful to all the residents and resident groups who have raised concerns and responded to the survey,” Mr Barraclough said.

“Many local businesses have also expressed their concerns about this, as they see this as another hammer blow to them and their livelihoods.

"I have been swamped with emails and on-line replies to the survey I circulated and I will now be taking this campaign back to the council to get this stopped.”

Conservative group leader, and Goring Councillor Kevin Jenkins, said any parking charges would have a ‘disproportionate effect’ on users of the car parks and local residents.

“All councils are going through a difficult time,” he said. “This Labour administration have lost the plot.

"When we challenged the cabinet member for resources, John Turley, about the plans to introduce car park charges, he stated ’that details were being finalised’.

“Yet we were able to obtain the planned fee introduction details from the council, and that shows that the details were known to him, and his cabinet colleagues and should have been disclosed when he was questioned at the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee, in December – and again at the full council meeting in January.

"On the face of it there has been a clear effort to avoid disclosing these details to members and to the public.”

In response, Mr McCabe said: “For all the Conservatives' inaccuracy and alarmism on this, here in the real world, we are facing up to the consequences of their failures.

"The national Tory government has starved public services to the point where we are spending more and more of our council officer time generating sufficient income to maintain even basic community services like emptying the bins.”

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