Angry scenes over parking issue as protesters storm out of Dudley Council debate

The group campaigning against the introduction of parking charges in the borough packed the public gallery to witness a debate on the issue.

The debate was forced by the launch of a petition calling for a rethink on the allegations, which campaigners say will harm city center businesses.

Former Dudley councilor Shaz Saleem told councillors: “We first submitted this petition in September, over 6,000 residents had signed it, the number stands at 11,739 and hundreds of businesses have also written to the council asking them to change their decision .”

“We voted for you to be our eyes and ears, to be our voice in this chamber and to act in a way that is positive for all of us.

“You have let us down, where was the consultation before such a decision was made?

“In August, when you rushed this through, only two councilors stood up for the people of our communities – just two out of 72.”

Ahead of the October 21 meeting, demonstrators had gathered on the steps of Dudley Council House to protest against new parking charges and the possible delocation or closure of borough leisure centers.

In the council chamber, anti-parking activists applauded Mr. Saleem at the end of his speech, prompting a warning from Assembly Chair Mayor Hilary Bills that the public was there to watch, not participate.

Dudley’s cabinet member for highways, Cllr Damian Corfield, accused Mr Saleem of advocating the introduction of parking charges when he was a cabinet member.

Further interruptions from the public led to a threat from the mayor to suspend the meeting and have it removed.

Conservative councilor Bex Collins said that introducing parking charges was not a frivolous measure and that failure to take action risked placing the council under the control of commissioners, which would “impact our ability to govern efficiently and respond to the needs of our residents.” , would have a significant impact.” “.

Councilor Collins added: “It is clear that there is a yearning for alternatives to what was agreed; However, the reality of our financial situation means that such an approach is not remotely possible at this time.”

Labor councilor Cathy Bayton said she was speaking on behalf of traders and read out a statement from businesses in Dudley town centre.

The statement said: “We were never consulted before the passage of this law, my revenue has fallen by a third, we have never experienced such disappointment and anger from our customers.”

Councilor Bayton continued to call for a move away from private vehicles in city centers for the benefit of the environment, but only once public transport connections were completed.

The debate continued but tempers heated up when council leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, addressed the meeting and blamed social care costs for the council’s financial problems.

Parking Protest.mov

Further heckling led to the mayor asking for some of the public to be removed from the stands, after which protesters marched out, claiming that their voices would only be heard by shouting.

The debate ended after 30 minutes with the Mayor concluding that the petition had been referred to the Council’s Environment Director.