Hot TOPICS 
Some free parking retained after face-to-face meeting
(June 24, 2010)
Warminster Town Council
members and Wiltshire Council held a meeting on Friday 11 June to discuss the thorny question of parking charges.
Those attending included the portfolio holder for highways Dick Tonge and senior highways officials from County Hall. Cllr Tonge is a north Wiltshire member - an area where the old district council raked off a significant sum from its car parking charges and he obviously thought a similar scheme could be imposed here.
We of course had written to the council advising them to change their ideas or face the possible wrath of the Local Government Ombudsman.
Something seems to have done the trick and now the county counil has come back with a much more reasonable deal which is likely to be approved by the town council on Monday evening.
Those attending included the portfolio holder for highways Dick Tonge and senior highways officials from County Hall. Cllr Tonge is a north Wiltshire member - an area where the old district council raked off a significant sum from its car parking charges and he obviously thought a similar scheme could be imposed here.
We of course had written to the council advising them to change their ideas or face the possible wrath of the Local Government Ombudsman.
Something seems to have done the trick and now the county counil has come back with a much more reasonable deal which is likely to be approved by the town council on Monday evening.
IT MEANS SOME FREE
PARKING CAN CONTINUE UNTIL NEXT APRIL !
The details as follows.Chinns Court to have 1 hour free parking in its 56 spaces. Emwell Street to continue as pay and display. Weymouth Street to convert to pay and display 17 spaces. Central Car Park 1 to be converted from long stay Pay and Display to provide 86 spaces at 1 hour free. Central Car Park 2 to be converted into Pay and Display Western Car Park to have 31 spaces at 2 hours free. The cost to Warminster Town Council will be £36,000.