Campaigners fail in bid to halt installation of car parking meters in Wirral country parks

The plan for machines in Eastham, Thurstaston, Royden and Arrowe Parks was debated during a three-hour meeting after 21 Conservative councillors called the issue in for further scrutiny.

The tarifs were among a raft of amended measures considered by the Labour group in a bid to raise extra cash to top-up threadbare budgets following Government cuts.

A planned £4 flat-fee to park at Eastham, Thurstaston, Arrowe and Royden Country Parks was replaced earlier this year with a new proposal to charge 50p for the first hour, £1 for two hours or £2 all day following public outcry.

A planned increase of all tariffs by 50p was replaced with a 20p rise.

The changes were approved during a budget cabinet meeting on March 6.

More than 20,085 residents had signed petitions against the proposals.

During the call-in meeting campaigners heard how the figures in the council's budget were a 'guestimate' amid claims that visitor numbers could drop by 30%.

Conservative councillor for Greasby, Frankby and Irby Tom Anderson said: "The move to introduce parking charges in the four country parks goes against the Council's own pledges about encouraging people to lead active lives.

"We also wanted to hear from those people with small businesses nearby to hear how these charges would affect them.

"The whole idea is a shambles and will not only damage our country parks but also could end up costing the council money.

"To base such a massive change on a 'guestimate', without any evidence, is making the council a laughing stock."

At the end of the meeting, committee members voted by 8:6 to proceed with the plan as agreed by cabinet.

Eight Labour councillors voted in favour, while five Conservatives and one Liberal Democrat voted against.

Cllr Stuart Whittingham, cabinet member for highways, said: "This council has to fill the £45m Tory Government cuts to Wirral.

"Our proposals of £1 for two hours parking or £2 for a full day, recognise the importance of the country parks to Wirral and our visitors and will raise badly needed revenue to provide the services Wirral residents enjoy.

"The income we will receive from this decision is, of course, a projection – as it would be from every new service, charge or product.

"Whatever funding it does generate will be reinvested into maintaining the parks, and continuing Wirral’s proud record of having more Green Flags than anywhere in the North West.

"Achievements like this do not happen by accident.

"They happen because the council invests major resources into protecting and improving our parks.

"Every year, as austerity continues to bite and the Tory Government continues to slash our budget, it gets harder to find this money.

"Rather than calling council meetings and continually sniping from the sidelines, perhaps it's time Tory members instead join our call on the Prime Minister and her coalition of chaos to restore fair funding for Wirral residents.

"Unfortunately I don't hold out much hope."

Among those objecting to the charges was Jayne Kirwan, who had organised a petition organisers.

She said: "I was frankly appalled at the comments and behaviour of some of those councillors.

"it was bad enough that they had clearly made up their minds before the meeting but to patronise the people so acutely affected and to completely disrespect their views was not only rude, it was also wrong.

"Those councillors who voted to introduce the charges should hang their heads in shame – they blindly followed their leader, even when the evidence proved otherwise."