Shock as Labour uses Parking as Cash-Cow

10.34.00am GMT Thu 5th Feb 2009

Lambeth Labour stands accused of using parking for residents and local small businesses as a colossal cash-cow and Labour has been milking it for all that it is worth.

When Labour came to power in May 2006 it pledged to the electorate to introduce a fairer parking regime but official figures recently obtained by Liberal Democrat Councillors show that far from reducing, parking income has actually soared under Labour.

Parking income soared by a massive £2 million between 2006/7 and 2007/8 financial years.

Half of this increase came from 'Moving Traffic Offences' using CCTV to catch out motorists and included two notorious 'scams' exposed by the Lib Dems. One was in the Streatham Vale/Eardley Road Yellow Box and the other was the notorious Salter's Hill 'Priority Scheme' where trapped motorists claimed photo image manipulation by the Council.

Labour also cashed-in by introducing an emissions charge element to its parking permits. Unlike the pioneering Lib Dem initiative in Richmond, which was revenue neutral, Labour seized on concerns about the environment to rip-off residents and owners of small businesses. Lambeth's scheme did not reduce the permit charge for owners of smaller less polluting vehicles.

In the year after introducing the scheme in July 2007 income from parking permits rocketed by 50% to £3.75 million.

Labour has also been plagued by Press stories that actions by its parking wardens were anything but fair.

There was the infamous ticketed Blood Donor Van right outside the Town Hall. Motorists were trapped for days when Brixton streets were sealed-off by police after a shooting - but the ticket wardens mysteriously got through. A breast-feeding mum's car was ticketed while she fed her baby and a man who suffered cramp after chemotherapy at St Thomas's Hospital and stopped his car for safety reasons was also done over by Labour's caring wardens.

Lib Dem Councillor Julian Heather said, "These official figures show that Labour has used parking simply as a Stealth Tax and made a colossal extra £2 million profit out of this blatant smash and grab raid on residents and small local businesses."

Cllr Heather added, "Labour cosied-up to motorists at the last election and now stands exposed for all to see as an old-Labour Tax Wolf masquerading in green sheep's clothing."