| Topic: | Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:Re:How LBH manipulates us | |
| Posted by: | Anthony Waller | |
| Date/Time: | 25/02/14 08:33:00 |
| I agree Alex. It is inevitable and it is is a shame that the problem has been caused by complete failure by the local authorities and politicians past and present who have put party policies above local concerns and it's residents. The problem now is to ensure that we all as residents have some degree of control. We do not want to be conned or renaged on like residents in Ealing have where permits have increased by 300% in 3 years and hard negotiated terms and conditions agreed and retified by the the then conservative administration were torn up by the following Labour administration. Noe it is in the hands of Serco who are pressuring Ealing and no doubt Hounslow and Brent for very significant increases in permits, visitor permits and car parking fees. Clearly CPZs are profitable ( which they are not supposed to be) as the likes of Serco would not be interested. LBH, Serco, Almex and others all do very well out of operating parking schemes but residents pay way over the odds for permits and visitor permits. Yet the frontline staff are paid poorly and are bullied and under huge pressure to meet 'secret quotas'. All well documented but to date unaddressed issues. We need written in stone assurances that the costs will not be continually reviewed and increased, that residents have the right to demand a review and disbandment or alteration of the scheme by consultation should circumstances change or the zone not work well enough. We do not want an unanswerable regime like Hounslow's Housing Planning and Regeneration who are pushing bizarre charges onto council rents plus a £2 and charging VAT on items that are VAT exempt in other boroughs. But any questions queries or challenges are met with a wall of silence. Residents need a say on the type of scheme, it's charges and it's policies. Ealing had a panel of non political residents on each CPZ zone to advise the officers on the areas only they know best. This worked very well until Labour came along and walked all over this very democratic method. I not that the silence from local councillors, potential councillors and other parties has been rather silent. In fact I noticed that the last and only circular ( from Labour) headlined Local Issues only addressed energy costs. Hardly a local issue, it affects the entire nation. This is a local issue, and if we have to have it we have to make sure it is the best possible scheme for the benefit of the majority of residents and is protected from those who wish to extract as much revenue from residents as they can find ways to do. |