“ I have to report that having been pleased last Saturday at not having to fiddle around with a mobile 'phone in order to park for 5 minutes in the Stapylton Road car park in Chipping Barnet, I was soon disappointed.
Barnet Council seem to have decided to give with one hand and penalize with another. It was such a welcome idea to allow some free parking at the weekends leading up to Christmas, but it seems instructions must have been issued to parking wardens to reap back any revenue lost by such a gesture.
I am now in te position of having to contest a £55 (potentially £110) parking ticket issued for ONE MINUTE (17.42 to 17.43) on Monday 9th December at the Hadley Green end of the High Street. Obviously we are back to the 'lurking ready to pounce' type of parking warden and it sours the whole idea of Barnet Council trying to help traders.
I have, when mentioning the weekend free parking, had comments such as 'I would never shop in High Barnet because of the parking situation'. My experience proves such comments to be well founded.
In 42 years of paying (non-discounted) council tax in Barnet I wonder why I have never been consulted about parking 'plans' and would like to put the point that Council Staff are employees of council tax payers. If, when running a business, staff being paid by me had just done what they liked, without consultation, possibly turning clients towards a competitor, the business would have soon ceased to exist.
The only recourse council tax payers (and therefore Council wage and pension payers) have is with a vote but this is ineffective when permanent staff are not affected.
I hope you can let me know what is going on with the 'so called' boost to High Barnet trade. ”