Harrow council meeting on 23 October received a 2,374 signatures petition opposing the council’s plans to remove evening free parking from the council car parks in Harrow & Wealdstone Town Centres.
Those concerned about the plans, articulate that the ‘selective’ arrangements have damaging implications for the nighttime economy in their areas.
They say that the wards like Pinner (represented by the leader of the council), and Hatch End (represented by the previous leader of the Conservative group) have been spared similar nightly parking charges.
In spite of intermittent public address system at the meeting, the parking issue led to a lively exchange between the Conservative and Labour groups when Chris Purdue, a mainstay of Harrow’s nighttime economy, wanted to but was not allowed to make a statement to briefly convey the depth of feeling in the local community about these new charges, despite the Labour leader Cllr David Perry’s plea to allow the statement.
Later, Cllr Perry said: “I was frankly disgusted by the treatment of Chris Purdue by Tory Councillors at full council. The council funding exists to continue to provide parking in Harrow and Wealdstone town centres, just like they do across the Borough, and for the Tory council to refuse to acknowledge 2,374 local businesses, customers, staff and residents clearly shows that the Tories have turned their backs on local businesses and treated them disgracefully”.
“For the leader of the council to refuse to allow local businesses to address a public meeting is extremely concerning, and the opposite of the council’s promise to put resident’s first” he added.
In response, Cllr Marilyn Ashton, deputy leader of the council, said: “Harrow Labour’s sudden conversion to supporting free parking can only be described as insincere and cynical”, because when Labour was in power, they voted down Conservative budget amendments in 2021 and 2022 which would have introduced one-hour free parking”.
Harrow now has one-hour free parking across the borough, much welcomed by the local businesses.
“All petitions are presented and debated under the same set of rules, rules which have been in place with cross-party support for many years. It would not be fair on residents who have presented petitions in the past, or to residents who will present petitions in the future, if the Council tore up the rule book just for this one petition” Cllr Marilyn Ashton said, and assures that they respect and value engagement by and contributions from members of the public during Council meetings.
Those concerned about the plans, articulate that the ‘selective’ arrangements have damaging implications for the nighttime economy in their areas.
They say that the wards like Pinner (represented by the leader of the council), and Hatch End (represented by the previous leader of the Conservative group) have been spared similar nightly parking charges.
In spite of intermittent public address system at the meeting, the parking issue led to a lively exchange between the Conservative and Labour groups when Chris Purdue, a mainstay of Harrow’s nighttime economy, wanted to but was not allowed to make a statement to briefly convey the depth of feeling in the local community about these new charges, despite the Labour leader Cllr David Perry’s plea to allow the statement.
Later, Cllr Perry said: “I was frankly disgusted by the treatment of Chris Purdue by Tory Councillors at full council. The council funding exists to continue to provide parking in Harrow and Wealdstone town centres, just like they do across the Borough, and for the Tory council to refuse to acknowledge 2,374 local businesses, customers, staff and residents clearly shows that the Tories have turned their backs on local businesses and treated them disgracefully”.
“For the leader of the council to refuse to allow local businesses to address a public meeting is extremely concerning, and the opposite of the council’s promise to put resident’s first” he added.
In response, Cllr Marilyn Ashton, deputy leader of the council, said: “Harrow Labour’s sudden conversion to supporting free parking can only be described as insincere and cynical”, because when Labour was in power, they voted down Conservative budget amendments in 2021 and 2022 which would have introduced one-hour free parking”.
Harrow now has one-hour free parking across the borough, much welcomed by the local businesses.
“All petitions are presented and debated under the same set of rules, rules which have been in place with cross-party support for many years. It would not be fair on residents who have presented petitions in the past, or to residents who will present petitions in the future, if the Council tore up the rule book just for this one petition” Cllr Marilyn Ashton said, and assures that they respect and value engagement by and contributions from members of the public during Council meetings.
Harrow Monitoring Group 
Then these two faced, Conservative hypocrites talk about not stifling businesses let alone allow Free Speech when it does not suit their duplicitous intentions relating to the Welfare of Harrow & elsewhere. Shocking.
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