Harpenden car parking charges: Council rejects calls to apologise

Cllr Matt Cowley proposed the motion at a full council meeting on Wednesday (October 16), asking the council to “acknowledge and apologise for “the distress and loss of trust in this council” supposedly caused by “the lack of consultation during the previous budget setting process on parking charges in Harpenden”.

He also called on councillors to consider funding consultations on future budget proposals from their personal allowances.

Cllr Matt Cowley spoke at the meeting. (Image: St Albans City & District Council)

Plans to introduce charges for on-street parking in and around Harpenden were included in the budget for 2024/25, with a public consultation held months after the budget had been finalised.

The scheme has since been postponed until 2025.

At this week’s council meeting, Cllr Cowley said passing his motion would “repair the damage” to public trust in the council.

He continued: “You cannot have a tough conversation with the public if you don’t invite them into the room.

“We shouldn’t shy away from making decisions that are necessary and difficult. We should own them and bring the public with us on a journey.”

Cllr Cowley suggested the council should, in the future, consult on budget proposals at a cost of around £8,500.

But his calls were rejected by councillors, who voted by 45 votes to three against them. 

Cllr Giles Fry said it was “not really how a budget works” and that “every councillor will have the opportunity of submitting their own ideas around the budget”. He said the council is “fully transparent”.

Meanwhile, Cllr Chris Brazier said “Harpenden is not the be all and end all of the district”, and added: “The budget is set across the district and across what the district needs … [it’s] not just about parking charges in one area.”

Cllr John Galvin said the council had made it “abundantly clear” that there was a need to raise and save money “due to the lack of funding from central government”.

He said people in Harpenden were “very aware” of the proposed changes during this year’s local elections in May. 

Deputy leader of the Labour group, Cllr Mike Hobday, warned: “There have been too many occasions this year when the council has blithely, rashly and unnecessarily rushed into conflicts with the residents whom we were elected to serve.

“It brings discredit on the whole district council and it breaks the council’s trust with the people we serve.”

However, he said the Labour group would be unable to back Cllr Cowley’s motion because of its suggestion that councillors could fund a consultation out of their own allowances. Cllr Hobday said it “smacked of hairshirtism”.

Responding to other councillors, Cllr Cowley said: “I tried this evening to bring a good faith motion to help us restore trust in politics.

“Clearly, councillors aren’t willing to listen, and that’s a real shame.”