Tucked away at the end of tonight's cabinet agenda is a paper on the contentious issue of staff and councillor car parking.
At the moment, all council staff and members park for free in connection with their work at the council.
But a paper being presented to Boston's glee club meeting points out that it is not a contractual right, and budget proposals are to end free parking and "move to a system which is more reflective of arrangements for non council employees" - by which it pompously means "other town centre workers, residents and visitors."
These lesser mortals either pay for parking by using meters or buy a season ticket.
Season tickets currently cost £280 but are likely to rise to £320 from April.
Withdrawing the right to free parking is being proposed mainly because the council has to make more savings, but it has decided to spin the idea of treating staff and councillors just the same as everyone else by suggesting that the move will encourage staff and members to consider alternative and perhaps more environmentally friendly (and healthier) means of getting to work, and reducing the number of cars coming into town centre through car sharing, walking and cycling.
The report reckons that if staff and councillors buy season tickets the council will profit by just under £50,000 a year.
But as always there is a catch.
The report says that if essential car users are excluded from the new arrangement and continue to benefit from free parking (why?) the income would fall by £12,500 and if councillors were charged at a part time rate, income would drop by £5,852.
Essential users currently get an annual lump sum of between £753 & £1,095 and a mileage rate that varies between 13.3p per mile and "£15.8p" (sic) per mile.
At those rates, the latter is the one for us - it must be for the borough Bentley!
Casual users don't get a lump sum but can claim a mileage rates between 42.9p per mile and 58.7p per mile based on engine size. We've checked out running costs for several popular vehicles and these seem like very generous rates.
No one likes losing money, but we do feel that free parking for a select group is something that can no longer be afforded.
Why should councillors and council workers be exempt from the charges paid by people who have to drive to work in the town and contibute to its prosperity?
However you look at it, it's an unfair and anachronistic privilege which is not egalitarian and has no justification in today's equal society.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
At the moment, all council staff and members park for free in connection with their work at the council.
But a paper being presented to Boston's glee club meeting points out that it is not a contractual right, and budget proposals are to end free parking and "move to a system which is more reflective of arrangements for non council employees" - by which it pompously means "other town centre workers, residents and visitors."
These lesser mortals either pay for parking by using meters or buy a season ticket.
Season tickets currently cost £280 but are likely to rise to £320 from April.
Withdrawing the right to free parking is being proposed mainly because the council has to make more savings, but it has decided to spin the idea of treating staff and councillors just the same as everyone else by suggesting that the move will encourage staff and members to consider alternative and perhaps more environmentally friendly (and healthier) means of getting to work, and reducing the number of cars coming into town centre through car sharing, walking and cycling.
The report reckons that if staff and councillors buy season tickets the council will profit by just under £50,000 a year.
But as always there is a catch.
The report says that if essential car users are excluded from the new arrangement and continue to benefit from free parking (why?) the income would fall by £12,500 and if councillors were charged at a part time rate, income would drop by £5,852.
Essential users currently get an annual lump sum of between £753 & £1,095 and a mileage rate that varies between 13.3p per mile and "£15.8p" (sic) per mile.
At those rates, the latter is the one for us - it must be for the borough Bentley!
Casual users don't get a lump sum but can claim a mileage rates between 42.9p per mile and 58.7p per mile based on engine size. We've checked out running costs for several popular vehicles and these seem like very generous rates.
No one likes losing money, but we do feel that free parking for a select group is something that can no longer be afforded.
Why should councillors and council workers be exempt from the charges paid by people who have to drive to work in the town and contibute to its prosperity?
However you look at it, it's an unfair and anachronistic privilege which is not egalitarian and has no justification in today's equal society.
Write to us at boston.eye@googlemail.com Your e-mails will be treated in confidence if requested.
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