I AM writing to let your readers know about Brent Council's proposals for camera enforcement of parking.
The decision was agreed by Labour in a report entitled, Enforcement of Moving Traffic and Parking Contraventions by means of CCTV Cameras, that was presented to Labour's first executive committee meeting on June 23.
Brent's new Labour council is proposing installing CCTV cameras by January 2011 at a cost of £1,104,000 so that they can begin to issue more fines to motorists, reaping about half a million pounds per year by issuing 18,000 tickets a year.
During the elections, Labour claimed Brent Council was raising too much from motorists, however, at their first executive meeting, they have agreed to a spending spree of more than a million pounds to catch out unsuspecting motorists, fining them for what the Metropolitan Police call 'minor errors of judgment'.
Even the council's deputy leader, Labour Councillor Mohammed Butt, has admitted everyone 'says this is going to be a moneymaking scheme', claiming this Big Brother-style enforcement was needed to keep people safe.
This just shows Labour's hypocrisy about parking and that having Labour-run Brent Council will cost local residents dear.
You don't make people safer by camera enforcement of parking offences and the fact that the Labour lead member for finance is trying to defend the policy tells me that this is all about making money from unsuspecting motorists.
People who live and work in Brent are only left to wonder what Labour will do next. When the Liberal Democrats ran Brent Council, we made the first permit free for smaller cars and froze charges for all other cars. Labour must now promise that they are not going to increase charges for residents who live in Controlled Parking Zones to rake in more cash
COUNCILLOR DANIEL BROWN Liberal Democrat Councillor for Alperton
Spokesperson for Highways and Transportation
