7th December 2009

The Greens have condemned the City's move to offer cut price permits to businesses which will, they say, attract more traffic into Oxford City Centre (away from the Park and Ride) and may not even raise the hoped-for money for the cash-strapped City Council. The Labour-run City Council's proposals to offer cut price parking permits to businesses is based on a dubious premise - that the permit vehicles are not already parking in the City's car parks.  

If they ARE currently parking in City Council car parks then all the cut price permits will do is REDUCE the City car parking income. If, on the other hand, the vehicles are parked outside of the City (or indeed the business people currently use public transport or the Park & Ride) then the cut price permits will result in lower public transport use and MORE traffic on our streets.

Says Green Group leader Craig Simmons, "This is a poorly thought out scheme. Labour is bribing people to drive into the City Centre. This is less Mary Clarkson [1] and more Jeremy Clarkson."

FMI: 0773 980 3047

[1] Mary Clarkson is, of course, the City's Labour Mayor.