ONE of the major arguments at Tuesday night's council meeting was over a car park - one with a £5.5million price tag.
With services slashed, so many losing their jobs, and more cuts to come, opposition councillors questioned whether this was the best way of spending the town hall's limited cash.
Conservative leader Jason Stacey pointed out there was already a car park, in Herbert Road, pictured, which was never at capacity according to figures.
He said: "I can't see the justification for spending £5.5m on a car park that will be a stone's throw from an existing car park that doesn't even get full."
Liberal Democrat leader Gary Malcolm suggested the money would be far better spent protecting front-line staff and libraries from cuts.
He said: "Quite simply, it is a question of whether you want a car park that no one seems to want to use, or park rangers that really look after our parks."
But council leader Julian Bell said it was vital for improving Southall's economy. He said "Nothing was done by the previous administration about what has been a long and ongoing problem.
"There is a lot of leakage (shop-pers going elsewhere) from Southall which should not be happening because it has a lot to offer, it is because there is nowhere to park."
He said he would be meeting with Southall MP Virendra Sharma, traders and residents next week to see what could be done to improve the prosperity of the area.
