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| Decision to end clamping was
‘too little, too late’ |
Halt to penalty for illegal
parking is just spin claims MP
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Cllr Steve Hitchins
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THE decision to end clamping in Islington was welcomed this week,
but campaigners against ‘draconian’ parking controls said
it did not go far enough.
The council and its partner National Car Parks (NCP) is to stop
clamping parked cars for minor infringements following widespread
condemnation of the practice.
Council leader Steve Hitchins said: “We are listening to residents.
They say ‘clamping-it just doesn’t make sense’ and
we are responding by calling a halt to clamping.”
But Islington South and Finsbury MP Emily Thornberry said that ending
clamping was a “small gesture” and didn’t mean an
end to the war on the motorist.
She said: “If they were to announce that they are going to
make less money out of motorists, then that would mean something,”
she said.
“But I’m very cynical about this. I think it is all spin
– because if they are not clamping cars they are probably towing
them away.
“Parking controls should be making the lives of residents easier
not more difficult.”
NCP Chief Executive Bob Macnaughton said. “There is no question
that clamping can play an important role in deterring illegal parking,
but it is right that the public has a say in how deterrents such
as this are used.”
Islington was the last inner London borough to introduce clamping
in 2003 and says it will be the first to remove it.
But Freedom Party campaigner Tim Newark said it was a pity that
the decision came after such a bitter battle.
He said: “My party and Labour – which both stood against
draconian parking – both polled more votes at the last by election
than the Lib Dems and Greens combined. They are obviously now listening
to us.”
He added that cars would still be towed away for over staying on
a parking meter.
He said: “That can be worse than clamping because people don’t
know where their cars have gone and it costs hundreds of pounds
to get them back.”
He pointed out that Islington had refused a request by traders at
Highbury Barn for a Saturday parking exemption.
He said: “Labour’s Cllr Teresa Debono and I had a meeting
on Monday with the head of parking controls and explained that the
restrictions were killing trade. We said, as Saturday was the busiest
day, why couldn’t we have it free of controls? They said it
wasn’t possible. So much for listening to the people.”
Peter Oborne, Highbury resident and political editor of the Spectatator
magazine, said there was a long way to go before the council would
end its ‘campaign of intimidation’.
He said: “Traffic wardens must stop hanging around schools
in a predatory fashion when mothers drop off and collect children.
They should be ordered to exercise much more discretion.”
• Cars can still be clamped on private property, red
routes and housing estates, as Islington Council does not manage
clamping in these areas.
• Reserve powers mean that mis-users of disabled badges,
persistent evaders of parking fines and owners of untaxed vehicles,
still risk being clamped. |
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