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Westminster bikers given fresh hope by delay in parking levy decision
Westminster's Motorcycle Parking Charges have come under further scrutiny this week as campaigners push for an end to the controversial levy, which they see as a stealth tax on motorbikes and scooters.
In August last year, the scheme was introduced on an experimental basis, and after being forced to reduce the charge by a third after accusations of a cash grab, Westminster's parking department are now behind schedule on pushing through a permanent levy.
The decision was due to be made last week, but hopeful campaigners point to the absence of any public announcement. It was widely expected that the scheme would be pushed through despite thousands of objections, many of which were hand delivered to Westminster City Hall on July 1.
In addition, the parking department has been heavily criticised for failing to answer a vast number of Freedom of Information requests within the statutory time limit, and withholding certain documents.
The No To Bike Parking Tax Campaign has been shown an email to an FoI applicant which expresses concerns over his question being deliberately obstructed by the parking department.
This comes in the week that the Pay by Phone system operated by Verrus failed on Tuesday, with Westminster advising people to call back every half an hour to pay, with no guarantee that they would not have been ticketed if the system had recovered in the meantime.
Charlie Lort-Phillips, of the No To Bike Parking Tax Campaign, said: "Do they really think that people have nothing better to do than stop their working day every half an hour to see whether Westminster can get it's act together? They seem to be intent on continuing to rip money from drivers' wallets even when their own systems are unusable."
Warren Djanogly, Chairman of the No To Bike Parking Tax Campaign, said today: "This department is a disgrace and tarnishes the reputation of Westminster City Council as a whole. Not only are they wilfully trying to subvert the objections to their bike parking 'tax', they are delaying a statutory process, and ignoring FoI requests in the hope it will all go away. They need to drop this tax, and then be dropped by this council."
Bikers are expected to descend in huge numbers this Sunday to sign a mock 'legal summons', in anticipation of the campaign's upcoming challenge to the scheme.
Parking Officer Kieran Fitsall stated in a podcast in May that the demonstrations were "nothing we haven't seen before". The Metropolitan Police have confirmed that the No To Bike Parking Tax demonstration in March was the largest by far against a council initiative.
THE NEXT DEMONSTRATION IS TO LEAVE THE ACE CAF: 1T 11am ON SUNDAY, RALLY IN GOLDEN SQUARE AT noon, THEN CONTINUE TO WESTMINSTER CITY HALL
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