22 February - Craske has no answers - just more carefully chosen irrelevancies
Two
weeks ago the News Shopper published a letter from a Mr. Walkling who had been
fined by Bexley council for ‘paying and displaying’ in Sidcup - the CCTV
confirmed he did so - but although his ticket was visible on his car window, it
was, according to Bexley council, displayed in the wrong window. Mr. Walkling
likened Bexley council to North Korea and said he wasn't going to go shopping in
Sidcup ever again - which seems a not unreasonable reaction.
This week councillor Peter Craske appears on the News Shopper’s letter page excusing his
department’s behaviour with four totally irrelevant “facts”. Nowhere does he
address the complaint. He has no answer as to why a fine is justified for buying
a ticket and not sticking it on the windscreen as precisely as he would like.
Instead he complains about the “myths” said to be circulating about Bexley’s
parking regime. I can think of several…
• Bexley has the cheapest parking in South East London.
• Bexley has more parking spaces than elsewhere in South East London.
• It costs nearly £250 to issue a Resident’s Parking Permit.
• Bexley council conducted a survey about the Controlled Parking Zone in Albert
Road, Bexley. (It did not, confirmed by FOI.)
• The new parking facility at Hall Place cost ‘only’ £1,000,000. (The council’s Capital Expenditure Report said it cost £3,605,000.)
Who do you think came out with all these myths? No other than Cabinet Member, councillor Peter Craske.
Untruthful as ever.