Author: simon
Want To Buy A £75 Parking Permit. Tough! IWC Suspends Their Sale
Friday, 5th February, 2010 at 8:00 pm, Isle of Wight
Island-wide, Isle of Wight Council, News, Opinion Piece
We all know that the Isle of Wight council has proposed that resident parking permits rise from £75 to £200.
Many, many people aren’t very happy about this.
Today we heard about a further kick in the teeth for Island resident over the parking permits.
The IWC has suspended the sale of the £75 parking permits, stopping people buy them before the price goes up.
You can’t buy one
If you contact the council you’ll be told that you can’t buy one until after the 10 Feb.
Why the 10th? The IWC Cabinet is meeting on the evening of the 9th to discuss and agree the budget cuts.
Funny that, because in the old days it used to be that it was the Full Council that used to vote and decide which way the council policy was set.
Block voting
Having witnessed the way that the ruling Conservative party votes – as one single block with no descent – perhaps it’s not surprising that it’s assumed that policy might not change after the Cabinet decides.
One of the people who sent us this information asked
How can they do this? If the Chancellor announces a rise in petrol from 1 April and you go to fill up on 25 March, you arent told “Sorry – No Petrol available due to the Government “Exercising its Discretion” – you get it at the rate of the day and accept (under duress) that you pay the new rate from 1 April.
“Exercising its discretion”
If you look at the IWC Website page you’ll see their reasoning
Whilst this is on-going the Council is exercising its discretion under the current parking order to temporarily stop the sale of new and renewal of existing Island Residents Permits. We anticipate new arrangements to be in place from the 10th Feb.
Related posts:
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Latest news out of the full council meeting at County... - A Rise In All Parking Charges Proposed
All costs could go up.... - £500 Long Stay Parking Permits Available From April
A press release just in from the Isle of Wight... - Bah Humbug: Parking Charges Continue Through Holidays
Parking charges over the festive period? Bah Humbug!... - Smartwater Used to Protect Parking Meters
Parking meters on the Island get protection from Smartwater....
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Absolutely disgusting. It is quite clear that yet again these proposals will not get any kind of public consultation, nor will we be listened to.
The council are doing this for their own greedy selves, they are NOT representing us!!!
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Is this even legal? I bet the council are wondering this themselves. Doesn’t stop them doing it though.
So if someone’s ticket has expired and they need to renew it, they can’t?
The council are really showing themselves to be a total bunch of idiots.
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Does that mean they will suspend parking fines for the permits that have expired and need renewing? They surely can’t fine you if they won’t renew your permit.It’s just a complete mess.
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the last lot to fiddle about with parking freedoms on the IoW ended up being voted out-they ignore the electorate here at their peril- but arrogant as power makes them they will go blindly on to obscurity…..in the end.
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Has anyone bought one already?
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Thankfully I bought mine at the end of January. They can shove £200 up their bums next year though.
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We did as well. I feel for the poor souls who have no off road parking in inner town terraces and will have literally nowhere to park legally within 100 m of their homes. Yet again Pugh shows his contempt for the poorer members of the Island.
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I suspect they are actually after £150 but were too frightened to announce an increase of 100%. By threatening £200 and causing a huge outcry, when they finally set it at £150 it will look like we have a good deal. Naive? Maybe. But you have to remember that politicians are not too bright.
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“one single block with no descent”? Sounds like something from Towering Inferno. The word is ‘dissent’!
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It may well be a spelling mistake – but it may also be the way some Tory Councillors are feeling at the moment…
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Well it sure ain’t “decent” !!!!
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This council really does like to stab residents in the back. Are we surprised when it has councillor leaders who are totally out of touch with reality. They’ve messed up everything they’ve touched so far. Is it any wonder that the staff passed a vote of ‘No Confidence’ in David Pugh. Why doesnt the Ventnor Blog start a website or such like so residents can have their own vote of no confidence?? dare you!
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I’d sign up to that John!! But after all the fuss over school reorganisation – the angry marches and so on, they still got re-elected. I think they just think they can do what they like and the electorate are dumb enough to forget when local elections come round again.
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Divide and Rule they played Primary Schools up against Middle Schools to which ones they were going to close.
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Primary or Middle
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Sounds like a great idea and would help to gauge some public opinion on the matter. Good publicity for VB too.
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I’d be up for this too. Brilliant idea.
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hear hear John ….i will sign up too
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If the County Press report is correct, then the disposal of Ryde Town Hall and Shanklin Theatre will only save £50,000.
Yet, the Council spent nearly £100,000 in creating the absurd “Town Square” off Shanklin High Street, which is not even square and certainly has little practical use. Presumably this was one of the “Boy King’s” bright ideas.
Just see how much money has been wasted in abortive schemes such as the “Ryde Interchange”, when all that was needed was the kind of “Tidy-up” which is now the policy.
In the meantime, money has been wasted, and Ryde Espanade has looked like the entrance to a third world country.
In addition, how much does the glossy “Island Life” cost? It is just self-praise, and could easily be condensed into taking a single full page in the CP that distributes the magazine anyway?
Talking about “Philistines”; removing the Music grants for schools is an indication of just how little we are getting for our Council Tax, and how little our masters care about “culture” . .
I could go on and on, but anyway, I didn’t vote for them; the Liberals surely couldn’t have been worse?
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LC, I think you are referring to “One Island”, not “Island Life”. “Island Life” is a commercial giveaway paid for by advertising, and has nothing to do with IWC.
By the way, shouldn’t you be a Loose Cannon, or are you in holy orders ?
All the same, I agree with your comments, especially the ludicrous waste of money on the Shanklin “Town Square”, which has just funneled everything through Regent St and sealed off another route around the town, just as they did at Newport by making a tiny stretch of Trafalgar Road one way.
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Doesn’t suprise me. Any council that is prepared to hit the most vulnerable, eg adults with special needs (downs, brain damage, physical handicap etc) is certainly capable of robbing motorists.
The closure of Westminster House and the slow death of Haylands farm announced this week by iwc is despicable. Beyond belief that anyone could be so cruel to those so disadvantaged. Pugh, hang your head in shame.
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Well said.
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No time for public consultation on the plans then! Seems like they are being rushed through.
Surprised no-one has picked up on the waste services – will now be kerbside only unless have special circumstances! Not sure what these special circumstances will be – maybe they want to say before deciding to go ahead!
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How about everyone Email the County press, BBC South, Meridian and IOW Wight radio now… and get them to get Pugh and Beynon on to explain how they are justified in suspending this before it goes to the vote. If we dont shout loud they will just go blighly on
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to Loose Cannon @ 10.17am, not only is the intention to remove the Music service subsidy for Island schoolchildren, but David Pugh’s brass band still has the use of Rylstone Chalet (owned by the IOW Council) for free.
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That is very interesting, GC. Remember all the recent fuss about Ventnor TC and the Winter Gardens contract, referred to the auditor because of preferential rental rates. Shouldn’t Pugh be referred to the auditor with a view to suspension for unethical conduct ?
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Things are mounting up Dave?
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I thought that Rylstone Chalet could have been deemed surplus to requirements and disposed of in the same way as the theatre, but I believe they have an agreement that all cost involved, including the restoration (if it ever starts!), are covered by the band, so they are making money from it.
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Someone told me that when Andy Sutton (he’s the Tory Council leader who got suspended for 6 months and who has gone under cover) got in he promised a flat fare £1 bus ticket, student rider at 50p and the £50 residents parking permit.
Car drivers are doing relatively well – the £1 flat fare never happened (despite their spin a council officer told me they checked what it would cost with Southern Vectis before that election, but never managed to find the money from Sutton’s great plan for massive savings), and the student rider is about to be £1.20.
Apparently, Sutton was told that the residents parking permit would COST the Council a huge amount in lost car park charges they already had. Now they privately say it’s costing £2million a year.
That was five years ago, and they have a black hole of £11ish million, which is what they are trying to fill by all these cuts. So if Sutton and the Tories had listened to the council officers 5 years ago, and not pretended that they could find millions of savings, then the £11m problem would only be a million now. Instead they’ve set themselves up with a parking permit to win an election 5 years ago, didn’t put it up to win an election 1 year ago, but now can’t afford it.
Competent with our money – what a joke!
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£1 flat fare is too low, but SV really need a flat fare. Bluestar, sister of SV in Soton, charge £3 for a dayrider to allow travel across Southampton on Bluestar and Wilts and Dorset.
Would definitely drive up the passengers!
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Yep, music service is at risk again. How can a fellow musician (incidentially one who once benefitted from this very service)sanction depriving the musical advancements of young people. Especially the kids from low-income families, who will not be able to afford to pay for the lessons. The schools do not have the funding to bridge the gap. The Island has a very good reputation for its youth music which will perish if its not nurtured.
The council is hitting the most vulnerable people on the Island. Cutting after school services to children in care, Closing Westminster House the only respite service for disabled people and their families. I am so appalled, they shouldn’t be allowed to get away with all of this. I urge as many people as possible to attend the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday and the Full Council meeting on the 24th, so that the council can be in no doubt whatsoever of our feelings towards these dispicable propsals.
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The funding for the music lessons IS actually included in the schools budget, if they chose to spend it on other things thats their choice. Perhaps they don’t see music lessons as a priority?
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Music is/was our best culture/tourist option…..Everyday for the past goodness knows how many years I have seen it’s decline and monopolisation.
I am still so disgusted by how they run the theatres into the ground and how none of our opinions seem to count, only the that of gravy train consultants to dis-agree with common-sense. All the totted up costs in audit reports and consultancy could easily have been put to saving all these forms of local music.
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There is a difference between school music lessons and peripetic instrumental lessons. The government funding is not for individual instrumental lessons, other than for the key stage two inititives.
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As noted by ’student’ the whole scheme was an unsustainable gimmick.
Yes, it’s great having low cost parking permits, but clearly we were paying for it with a reduction in council balances (a.k.a our public money held in reserve.)
Whilst the leaders played games with terminology of ‘reserves’ and ‘balances’ (and alledgedly hidden money from the previous administration) it was clear that the level of spend could only be short term.
Whilst the colour of his politics may not be mine, the only cllr repeatedly challenging this appeared to be Geoff Lumley.
An annual parking permit that paid for itself in a fortnight may no longer be available, but at least some more parking spaces may be, and possibly a little less traffic.
If single bus fares could be decoupled from the OAP free travel reimbursement, then perhaps we could all make genuine travel choices.
More likely is the fact that more of us will park in neighbouring residential areas, of get lifts from family members (avoiding parking chares but increasing car usage).
Eco Island? Good leadership?
Have you seen either?
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Parking Permit:Kick in the teeth for towns and villages.But they will still want that Business Rate off of you.
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We all agree it WAS a pathetic bit of shtick, a shameless political gimmick. It’s just a shame that it will irk more people than the huge cuts in services being imposed on adults with learning difficulties. Some parents and carers relying on places like Westminster House could be forced to place their adult ‘children’ in full time care if they lose respite services. In this event, the taxpayer will be far worse off. Where’s the joined up thinking?
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I live in Marlborough Rd so held to ransom on ParkingPermits as will all residents of older roads which are probably low income. Those cutson the disabled etc disgust me and what is this about cutting bus travel for those with serious mental illness and their ‘attenders’?
Winston Churchill once said a society is judged by the way it treats its weakest members – I think he would not be acceptable to IW Conservative Part. Thank goodness Ventnor East booted out Fitzgerald-Bond
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Its NOT the price proposed that annoys me – £200 P/A is actually still pretty good value IF you are a regular user of Car Parks. Its the fact that they are suspending the current cost of the £75 one that really stinks. Its as if they are sticking two fingers up and saying “stuff you IW residents (who pay YOUR wages – to hell with the decision process and the views of the Full Council – we want your cash NOW”. Cllr Lumley – your hour is fast approaching – show us wot yer made of!!!!
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Also, is this budget not for April 2010-2011? Therefore, shouldn’t any price changes for the parking permits start from April, not next week?
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Come on Ventnor Blog – have you got a copy of Andy Sutton’s Election Manifesto for the Tories 5 years ago or can you get one. Someone needs to see which of their promises they have or haven’t delivered.
Funny how their MP Andrew Turner seems to be distancing himself from the Tory Council with the general election coming. Lets help him!!!
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Don’t forget not only are they screwing residents to pay higher residents parking permits, they are proposing to remove valuable parking spaces outside residence homes (various streets in ventnor) so squeezing them to have to pay.
Very clever.
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Hey VB you beat them to it again. IW Radio and County Press finally catch up with the news.
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I hear Andrew Turner is furious with the council’s leadership or lack of. I heard Beynon says ‘we’d had it too good’ over parking on the cheap. Doh! It was the dumb tories (who gave him his job) who introduced the scheme – and the free parking for green cars they now want to end. I can’t wait to boot this lot out.
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