Motorist should pay more to park claims minister

Motorists should pay more to park in council-run car parks according to local government minister, John Healey.The minister believes that charging motorist more to park in town centres would encourage more people to walk and reduce congestion.In a speech to the Local Government Association, The Telegraph reported that he said: "Only one in five councils are using charging to the full potential.”The news comes despite the recent story reported by the Daily Mail that the cost of parking in council-run park has increased at three times the rate of inflation.The national newspaper reported that local councils have pushed up the cost of parking in shopping centres and central town areas by 14 per cent in two year according to figures released by the Department of Communities and Local Government.Despite soaring council tax bills, the money raked in by councils just from fees has more than doubled from £5.5billion in 1997/98 when Labour came to power to £12.6billion in 2007/8, The Telegraph claims.Shadow Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles told the Daily Mail that;“Whitehall is pressing councils to use parking charges as a cash cow to raid the pockets of public.”

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