Telford warden bid fails to win backing over cost fear
Traffic wardens on the streets of Telford & Wrekin are not a "viable proposition" while social services are under threat from cash cuts, parish councillors have claimed.
Hadley and Leegomery parish councillors decided not to support an ongoing bid by Newport Town Council to ask the borough council to introduce parking wardens in the area.
Chairman Councillor John Smart said: "I don't think it's a viable proposition in the present economic climate."
Councillor Bill McClements, who is also the Telford & Wrekin Council cabinet member with responsibility for finance, said each traffic warden would cost about £35,000 a year.
He said: "We are one of only a few councils in the country that doesn't make any money out of car parking.
"If we employ someone, the only way to pay for it is that they would have to get £35,000 of fines each year. Newport Town Council would be writing to us after six months complaining about people getting fines. This is the downside of not having parking charges."
A move to introduce charges on council-owned car parks saw the borough's Labour administration voted out of office in 2007, although the party regained control in 2011. Except in Ironbridge, parking on council car parks remains free.
Councillor Pat Smart said: "If we have traffic wardens there has to be more than one and I don't think we should have traffic wardens at the expense of adult social care or children's services."
She said a member of her family who shopped in Newport each Saturday had never had trouble parking and suggested that Newport Town Council look at employing its own traffic wardens.
But Councillor McClements said town and parish councils did not have the legal powers to do that.
