Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency
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Contact Norman at:
Norman Baker,
23 East Street,
Lewes,
East Sussex,
BN7 2LJ.
Tel: (01273) 480281.
Fax: (01273) 480287.
Email: info
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MP criticises County Council inaction over Lewes parking
Lewes will have to wait until at least October before all but cosmetic changes are made to the town’s parking scheme, the town’s MP Norman Baker today reveals. This is despite widespread disquiet in the town over many aspects of the scheme, a large degree of agreement over the changes necessary, and a promise last year by the County Council to have the changes in force by this month.
The new timetable to which the County is working will see a very few changes made this month, mainly to introduce free time-limited parking outside retail premises away from the town centre. The bulk of changes will not now be in place before October, and some areas on the periphery of the town will have to wait even longer than that.
Norman Baker says: "The people of Lewes, including its small businesses, have by and large accepted with good grace the introduction of a controlled parking scheme, but they have argued for sensible changes, such as the downgrading in places of double yellow lines to single yellow, and alterations to enforcement hours in the High Street. I have supported them in that approach. The County, to its credit, accepted many of the suggestions put to them, but now seems to be dragging its feet interminably in bringing these changes in. I expected the changes to be enacted, if not before Christmas, then by February at the latest. February then became April, and now I am told that we will have to wait until October for action. This will be 18 months later than it should have been possible, especially given the large degree of consensus over most of the proposed changes.
"The County Council now seems to be operating at two speeds only – dead slow and stop. This is not good enough. The Council owes it to the people of Lewes, and particularly to its small businesses, to get a move on.
The County Council has told the MP that 13 parking ticket machines in Lewes have been blown up since their installation.