Car parking to stay free

Wealden district councillors on Wednesday decided not to include car park charging in the council budget 2008/9.

A spokesman for the council said: 'Car parking will remain free.

'Most of the councillors who spoke on the issue were keen to keep Wealden charge-free.'

Wealden cabinet members, who met last week, had recommended the council investigate 'detailed proposals' for charging.

Residents in Hailsham and Crowborough organised petitions against the proposals totalling 14,500 signatures. A petition was also launched by Heathfield Parish Council.

A Wealden public consultation also proved people did not want to pay to park their cars.

Council leader Pam Doodes said: 'We were never going to introduce car park charges in this budget.

'Nobody at Wealden wants to introduce car parking charges.'

Cllr Doodes would not say whether the issue would arise in a further budget consultation.

The idea of car park charges was floated as the council tried to balance its budget and restrict the level of cuoncil tax increase.

Wealden was hit by a low revenue support grant from the government, the failure of the government to pay the full cost of concessionary fares for older people and a desire to extend recycling to all villages in the district.

Wealden has been trying to get East Sussex County Council to increase the payments it makes to the council for recycling.

*THE full council also agreed to raise council tax by 4.2 per cent as Wealden's share of the council tax bill this year.

This equates to 13p per week.

A typical band D home would pay 163.63 a year to Wealden, 3.15 per week.

The overall council tax bill for band D would be 1532 (10.7 per cent to the district council).

Wealden Cabinet member for finance, Cllr Bob Standley, said: 'The low level of government grant we receive puts an unfair burden on the district council taxpayers.

'Residents of other boroughs in East Sussex received between 20 per cent and 112 per cent more per head than people in Wealden.'

The council will be making efficiency savings of 644,000 this year. It will be aiming for total operational savings of 2.2 million over the next three years. This will help keep council tax rises within a 3.5 to five per cent band until 2011.