34 Car parking charges - challenge PDF 1 MB
Attached to this agenda is the detailed response from Grant Thornton to the challenge raised against the 2013/14 Accounts by Cllr Mrs Roach. Officers will ensure that the next update of the Traffic Regulations Order will include reference to discounts being made available for bulk purchases of car parking permits. The precise details of these arrangements will be considered at a meeting of the Managing the Environment Policy Development Group on 24 November 2015.
Minutes:
The Head of Finance brought the Committee’s attention to a detailed response * from Grant Thornton to a challenge raised against the 2013/14 Accounts by Cllr Mrs J Roach. The Chairman invited Cllr Mrs Roach to speak on the item. For the benefit of new Members to the Committee she summarised the events which had taken place as follows:
· In December 2013 a decision notice, permitting the sale of parking season tickets on a bulk purchase basis, was issued on behalf of a Cabinet member.
· Cllr Roach asked to call in the decision as she felt that this should have been advertised as it was changing the fees set in the car parking order. She was also concerned that this reduction applied to only one group of workers in one car park.
· The Chief Executive had refused to allow the call in and wrote to all Members explaining why the call in was invalid.
· In January 2014, Cllr Roach made a formal complaint, this was investigated and she was informed that the Council had acted properly.
· She then made a complaint to the Ombudsman who would not investigate because she was not a member of the public.
· She then lodged a formal challenge to the accounts. She explained that that decision had not been taken lightly.
· At the last Audit Committee when the accounts were agreed, she asked why there had not been a report to the committee on the result of her challenge. The Auditor agreed that this should have happened, hence the item on the agenda for this meeting.
· Her concern throughout had been that the correct procedures were not followed and that one set of workers had been given special treatment by the Council. She had wanted to know why if season tickets were to be reduced for one set of workers then shouldn’t everyone have an equal opportunity to access a better deal.
· She stated that it was unfortunate that an elected Member had to formally challenge the Council's accounts in order to highlight such an issue.
· She also stated that the Auditor wrote to her on the 15 December 2014 and the matter had still not been rectified.
Discussion followed with regard to:
· An acknowledgement that mistakes had been made and an apology was offered to Cllr Mrs Roach by the Head of Finance. Lessons had been learnt and that whilst mistakes of this nature could not be mitigated it was sincerely hoped that they would not be made again.
· The Head of Finance stated that a valid discussion had taken place with a local company and local residents where there had been concerns about congestion in a local road hence the arrangement. Future car parking orders would include some commentary about bulk discounts being available for all residents.
· The law ‘out-trumped’ the Constitution.
· A request to pursue the issue through the Scrutiny Committee had been denied.
· Perceived difficulties involved in minority group members finding avenues through which to bring issues to the fore.
· The ... view the full minutes text for item 34