Published at 19:29, Thursday, 15 April 2010

OF ALL the issues that get our readers agitated, car parking ranks up there among the most prominent.

It has long been suspected that parking fees are used by councils across the land as a milch cow.

So it’s refreshing to see that Allerdale council has come out and clarified the situation.

It’s not that Allerdale is simply raking in the money as a nice little extra.

No, in these financially stringent times the council is saying quite clearly that without revenue from its car parks some services would be cut.

The council’s finances have been tightened after the Government ordered it to save £3.5 million.

Allerdale says it must raise about £3 million a year from car parks to avoid cutting services that include a leisure centre, regeneration funding, or consideration of fortnightly bin collections, which is likely to be unpopular.

The council’s figures explain why it has been reluctant to bow to calls from Cockermouth Chamber of Trade for limited free parking to support the town’s flood recovery – a move that we would support.

However, the council’s transparency over this issue allows council taxpayers to see into the heart of policy making.

We’ve always argued that our town centres need cheap, accessible parking if they are to thrive.

These new figures are therefore most welcome, as they enable all of us to weigh up the pros and cons.

Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk