Conservatives branded ‘hypocritical’ over controversial car parking charges

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Dundee East MP, Stewart Hosie, has slammed the Conservatives over controversial parking charges in Angus and for their misleading, hypocritical, campaigning against the Workplace Parking Levy.

The MP, who represents Angus towns Monifeith and Carnoustie, has criticised the administration of Angus Council for the controversial parking charges introduced in the Local Authority last year.

Mr Hosie also labelled the Conservative Party ‘hypocritical’ over their involvement in the introduction of said charges in Angus whilst simultaneously campaigning against the devolution to Councils of the Workplace Parking Levy – a power that would allow councils, if they so choose, to introduce a tax on employers for every parking space they provide for employees.

The Workplace Parking Levy, which English Councils already have the power to implement, was not implemented by any Council in Scotland during the 2019 local authority budget process.

The MP’s comments came after the Goodfellow and Steven’s branch on Carnoustie High Street in his constituency closed recently, citing the parking charges as a major factor.

Commenting Stewart Hosie MP said:

“The Conservative Party’s hypocrisy over parking charges has been staggering. Hampering on about a power that no council has even indicated they will use while they implement punitive parking charges in Angus towns at the detriment to small businesses hoping no one will notice.”

“If it wasn’t already clear at the beginning of the year, when there was a drop in income generated from parking and there was widespread backlash from business owners and residents, that these charges wouldn’t work then it is now.”

“I said in January that I hoped the council would review these charges in six months. Given it has now been six months since their introduction and they have caused nothing but bother and heartache for communities and business owners I hope these charges will be scrapped. This of course will not undo the damage that the Tory-led administration have caused to town centres in Angus.”

“In short, the Tories have no business spreading misinformation about the devolution of powers to local authorities when they are hell-bent on destroying our high streets.”

ENDS