http://www.newburytoday.co.uk/News/Article...articleID=10604

Why won't the council admit they have made a mistake instead of desperately trying to justify the expense of so many wardens?

We have gone from the sublime (no wardens at all and a free for all) to the ridiculous (wardens walking round in packs and one round every corner).

Can I suggest that say 10 Wardens could do the job just as well as 20 in a small town like Newbury?

The council need the money.

It's disgrace... The Council want to fine people!!!

The Councillor in charge of the scheme, David Betts (Con, Purley) said, “The number of tickets has increased monthly, and I'm looking to increase it further with each passing month.”

...that shows the council in good light and what a welcome visitors to Newbury will receive!!!

Wasn't that the whole point? To make money. When they first started the council were worried that they weren't making any money.

Of course, but the ethical point is to make money out of parking charges and the traffic wardens are there to make sure people don't cheat, but for a councillor to spout that he wishes to make money out of fining people is sick and mean!

West Berkshire Council are sick.

You won't get any arguments from me.

Or me!

I've got a good idea that the Council bosses might want to consider as it will save them (us) money.
As a great many of the Council staff "work from home" and will surely not actually spend 7 hours a day doing council work which we are paying them for perhaps they can be asked to carry out the role of traffic warden.
After all how many of them do you see walking around Newbury during the day.
That way they can save the wages of the traffic wardens and ensure that the Council tax payers of Newbury are getting value for money.

It's a disgrace. I couldn't believe the Councillor said that! I remember when a member of the forum (can't remember who, sorry!) got two tickets outside their own house because their parking pass had run out the day before and they didn't have a chance to renew it yet.

The council need to cut down the number of parking wardens to level out the costs. And not ticket people just to make quotas, they need to ticket geniune offenders and give warnings to innocent people who really didn't know. And the fact that they made that person move their car when they were just trying to pick up a table is ridiculous! I thought Newbury was trying to help businesses! The council are using OUR money in the first place for the traffic wardens, now they're trying to get us to pay for them again with fines.

I've got an idea, why doesn't the council let west berkshire residents make the decisions for a month, see how that goes.

Remind me - when is the Council next up for re-election?

Yes, and I am sure the new lot will get rid of the traffic wardens; I don't think

If the Liberal Democrats have an ounce of sense they will make the reduction of the number of traffic wardens to a level where they are not a burden on the over taxed members of West Berkshire an election pledge.

They will then walk the election. I know literally scores of lifelong tory voters that wil NEVER vote for this incompetent and morally bankrupt council again.

Since when has any politician had sense? Isn't that an oxymoron?

I can't see what the fuss is about - park legally & buy a ticket when required & you won't get a parking ticket.
I was parked outside the Botan yesterday. You have half an hour there. When I got back after 20 mins, a car which had been there when I arrived was getting a ticket. Warden said it had been there 3 hours.

I think it is about their objective and the moral aspect of it. The council’s objective wasn’t to stop bad parking but to make money. The first couple of weeks they didn’t make any money and were very annoyed/ upset; i.e. nobody was breaking the law. As I see it they should have been delighted that their traffic warden weren’t doing anything as it meant that the law was being observed. But, no, they weren’t happy as they wanted to make money. They’ve got their foot in both camps; one hoping that people will break the law and the other hoping that when they do break the law they are caught. Which means money in council pockets. It is unethical.

It is the attitude that I resent, install new parking restrictions and hope to fine more people, it is mean spirited and I resent the tone in his quote. It does nothing to make Newbury more attractive in my view. I feel what made Newbury a nice 'quiet' place to live is being eroded by this Tory administration and the previous Lib Dem one.


I have voted both and both are the same, indeed, I'd say the Lib Dems are even more rubbish than this rubbish.

So... which rubbish will you be voting for next time around?

so err, you are saying that suddenly lots of people are breaking the law & parking illegally? If someone parked in front of one of the cycle racks, preventing its use, wouldn't you want the driver ticketed?

I don't think you read GMR's post properly as he doesn't seem to say that at all.

The Councillor, in my view, has just shown his true colours. He (they) are just simple 'scalpers'.

Of course not. The point I was trying to make was about their objectives? Was it to make money or stop illegal parking? When it was reported they were losing money on the project (not catching a lot of illegal parking’s) they were upset. To me they should have been delighted that they had achieved their objective to rid our town of illegal parkers/ people breaking the law (even if it meant that their traffic wardens were doing bugger all). But, no, their objective in creating so many traffic wardens was to make money out of their adventure, not to stop a crime. That was/ is immoral. Putting it another way; they were delighted people were breaking the law because it meant they were making money.

It is all about ones objectives; theirs were immoral.

Exactly.

"Mr Betts also admitted that one in seven tickets issued by the parking wardens had been overturned on appeal. Since they started patrols, 2697 fines have been issued, but 397 of them had been cancelled after drivers complained about the fines."

And how much did this cost in admin and support staff - more than the original tickets no doubt?

I believe - but I am not 100% sure - that traffic wardens are on a bonus. That means, they, themselves, are praying for crimes to be committed so that they can earn there money.

Never been a particular fan of traffic wardens for the reasons posted. It's not that I am against parking enforcement (I'm all for it when some scally parks his GTi in a disabled space) but the 'intent' of flooding the streets with the Yellow Peril is not right.

It's an earner for the council.

Similar to me as speed cameras. It's claimed to be there for safetly and maybe that was the original intent, but more and more it's a source of revenue so the intent has shifted from safety to revenue. Just my take - maybe should leave the cameras issue to the rants section

They wanted to make money but have misjudged the number of illegally parked cars so have been proven incorrect in their estimations. In employment law I believe that all employees are on probation for 6 months and can be dismissed at any time up until the end of that 6 months. As this scheme has been mis-managed may I suggest that the Council accept this and reduce the number of Wardens (if it is not too late already) from say 20 to 10 so that the incumbent members (or stakeholders) of West Berkshire Deistrict Council get value for money and a service they deserve.

****Incumbent members (or stakeholders) = You, me and Average Joe that pay their council tax. I Just thought I'd put it in a language that the counciller cretins understand.

I have just joined so that I can take part in this debate. The basic problem is that people don't read the signs when they park but just assume that they can park anywhere they like irrespective of local residents or rules (shades of the 'bollards' issue!). This is more typical of how society is now rather than the fault of the council. Previously when the police managed the parking controls there was only one traffic warden for the town and basically no enforcement! Perhaps 20 wardens will prove too many but if they do make people more aware then I will suppport the scheme. I have a controlled bay outside my house and am always amazed how many 'parkers' look shocked when I point out the signs and the restrictions before hurriedly moving elsewhere.

That is another one; speed camera’s. Their main objective is to make money first and then catch speeders. But to make money they must hope that people break the law. It is morally wrong.

I think you will find that you are in the 5% of people that support the scheme. I thought we lived ina democracy. Why can't local people have a say on things that affect their every day lives? We live in a digital age. West Berkshire Council is despised by the majority of hard working normal people. Viva La Revolution.

Perhaps I am but you haven't contradicted my point that people DO NOT read the signage. You talk about living in a Democracy well I have been in comtact, since the original scheme began, with my local ward member about my views - have you? Local people can make a difference but is a forum the right place!

I do agree with you, John, although our main point for complaining is because of what David Betts said. We are angry because they are planning to ticket more people in the coming months to even out the costs. His exact words were “The number of tickets has increased monthly, and I'm looking to increase it further with each passing month.”

I for one support parking enforcement but not like this. I refuse to support anything where they're opening planning on increasing the amount of tickets given.

I understand your point of view... I would hate to live somewhere near town where people would park to go shopping or to go to work.

I take your point but when you consider the amount of money that, in my opinion, is being wasted on trying to turn Newbury into another Reading or Basingstoke, which is the better use of our money! Did no one explain to the Council 'bigwigs' that the area around Parkway has a high watertable and that dewatering systems are notoriously poor when proposing an UNDERGROUND car park?

I don't dispute the fact that West Berkshire Council are wasting money in other areas as well. But the fact is we're complaining about them wasting money with the parking enforcement. We shouldn't just turn a blind eye to it.

It's like saying "Oh look, he's flushing money down the toilet, let's ignore him though and concentrate on that person over there who's burning money"

If not forums like this where else? Sadly there is nowhere in Newbury to voice your opinions. I've been to the council forums at WBC and they are controlled and you can't really have your say. And those places are mainly dominated by councillors and such. Forums are the future and the only way an individual can voice their concerns. Yes, you could write to the papers but they can only take so many letters and you really can't have a proper debate as you do here.

There are other local forums like Newburynutters that allow you to have your say, but that is it.

Duplicated post

The difficulties in parking now have put me off shopping in Newbury, I shop on the retail park or out of town. I mean really what does Newbury have that I cant get on the retail park or beyond. I think there are more and more people who are just put off by the hassle of roadworks, traffic and parking.

I think that is another good point; traffic wardens, not enough places to park, attitudes etc will push people away from Newbury and on to other more consumer friendly places. In the end Newbury town centre will miss out.

I'm with you there. The only time I go into town is when I go in when on my lunch and I can walk in. Even then it's a rare occurance. I don't like having to dodge road works, buses, and people asking for surveys/money.

The only time I don't go to the retail park is when it's the weekend and it takes longer to park/leave then it does to do your actual shopping... I just stay at home on those days

If you pay road tax you should be able to park on the public road, unless there are yellow lines. That's how easy it could and should be in my opinion.

JohnGB - just a small point, but when you reply to a post, it's best to add your comments in the same reply (below the [/quote] line), then you don't get double posts.

Is this a new forum sport.... just to quote the previous poster and nothing else

Thanks I will remember that in future.

I disagree. I feel bad for people who live in streets within walking distance into town. people park there all the time which makes it impossible for people who actually live there to park in front of their own house. Perhaps you've never lived in an area where people would park in front of your house so they can go somewhere else? I used to live on a street where there was a church at the end. Sundays were a nightmare. My dad would leave for 10 minutes to go get the paper, when he got back, there would be no where to park. It's an inconvenience and I'm glad I didn't have to deal with it on a daily basis as I'm sure John has to.

I find it extremely rude for people to park in front of other people's homes.

I don't see parking outside your house as a right, and I think it's outrageous that you would expect to. If it's that important then live somewhere with a driveway. If you lived that close to the town that it only took ten minutes to go get a paper why didn't your dad just walk there? Or go before church?

The closest place to get the paper would have taken 20-30 minutes to walk there and 20-30 minutes to walk back, that's fine for some people but when you're going to get the paper while breakfast is being made, you dont' want to take an hour. And as church people began arriving at 6:30, I think the last thing you want to do on a sunday is wake up early just so you can park in front of your house when you get back from getting the paper.

You're views are selfish. My boyfriend and I have been looking for a house to buy for the last 6 months and one of our requirements is having a drive. We're having a lot of difficulty finding the right house as everything in our budget either doesn't have a drive or needs so much repair work that we can't afford it in the end. It's not as simple as you make it out!

how about mums who go out for their shopping in their car with their child and return to find there's no where to park in front of her own home and are forced to park far away from their home? They'd have to make several trips to and from their house with their child to get all the shopping in.

How about the elderly? Many of them drive because walking long distances is difficult.

Stop thinking about what's convenient for you and think about who you may be inconveniencing.

I simply do not understand why the Council are so determined to drive people away from the town - surely the response to free parking on Thursdays has shown how trade has been buoyed up. Instead of announcing yet more draconian ticket chasing, it would be better to scrap the scheme entirely (saving the hard-pressed local tax-payer money) and concentrate on making the town centre a more attractive place to shop without the constant thought of parking fines. Imagine, too, better footfall will encourage take up of retail units in the much vaunted new developments.

I don't know where to start. If you want a drive, buy a house with one, if you can't find the ideal house for your budget either spend more money, accept that you'll have to do some work on it, or re assess your other requirements. Secondly, people arriving for church so much so that they're blocking the road at 6:30 am? Sorry frankly I don't believe you. Your point about mothers and their children is kind of valid, but there are ways around it. You said that to park outside someones house is selfish and inconvenient, but unless you solely use public car parks that is impossible so massivley inconvenient for everybody. I think you need to realise that just because you want a permanent space outside your house doesn't mean you should automatically get one, where did you get such a sense of entitlement? The roads are for everybody, they are supplied by the government to be shared and everyone on them (so long as they are legal) have paid to use them.

Because parking anarchy would be the result. Residents close to the town centre want to be abe to park ouside their own houses. Not too much to ask is it? As most of the towns car parks are now pay on exit, the only people being ticketed are those trying to avoid paying to park, those who park illegally & where they should not.