THE Salisbury Lib Dems made several unsubstantiated claims in their ‘one hour free parking’ campaign story in the SJ.

What is really surprising is that, until now, the Lib Dems have been one of the most ardent campaigners for better air quality on our streets.

Indeed, they only recently fully supported the city council’s strong response to the inadequacies, in relation to Salisbury, of Wiltshire Council’s Air Quality Action Plan.

We all recognise that attracting more cars into and moving around the city will only worsen the air quality. One hour free parking will inevitably result in more people driving into the city for quick visits, driving around trying to find the another parking slot after the first hour, and in both cases sitting in the traffic jam that has been created in our beautiful Mediaeval city.

The Lib Dems showed no interest in participating in the apolitical city council parking working group which resulted in a report, approved by full council (which includes the Lib Dems), sent to Wiltshire Council in March 2014.

Similarly they did not participate in the discussion just before Christmas about the city’s response to the WC online survey.

If they had taken proper notice they would have been aware that ‘free’ parking has to be paid for.

The options are: to increase the precept (which the Lib Dems unanimously voted against in the 2013 budget); and/or to increase all parking charges over one hour (something that the majority of councillors are against); and/or to reduce bus subsidies with the resulting loss of bus services thus disadvantaging the significant number of people without access to a car.

What will surprise residents the most is that the Lib Dem group were so strongly against SCC funding a small amount of free parking in the run-up to Christmas 2013 (a move welcomed by traders and public alike) that they demanded a named vote to show how angered they were by the suggestion.

One has to come to the sorry conclusion that the Lib Dems will do or say anything to get a vote in the forthcoming General Election.

They have found a sound bite of ‘one hour free parking’ which they want to use without any consideration to their long standing demands for better air quality and they have no suggestion of how they are going to pay for it.

There are no easy answers, so beware anyone who suggests that there are!

Colin Froude

Salisbury City Councillor