The Airport Caused the Problem – the airport should pay for the solution!!
Residents in the Vauxhall Park and Wigmore areas have complained for many years about airport workers and holiday makers clogging up their parking spaces and one of the key problems is holiday makers who park for two weeks on the streets because the airport car park charges are so high.
At last, after years of pressure from Liberal Democrat councillors, Luton Council has consulted residents on possible solutions to the problem. One of the suggestions is a residents’ parking scheme which would ban those who do not have a permit from parking in the area. Liberal Democrat leader on the Council, Councillor David Franks, says making residents pay £50 a year for a permit to park outside their homes is unfair when the problem is 100% caused by the airport.
“This is a quality of life issue and we have put down a motion for debate at the next Council meeting calling for the airport to pay all the costs including the annual permit charges. The airport caused the problem and the airport should pay for the solution. We shall see on 21st January how serious the Labour Council is about dealing with the problem and how fair minded they are about collecting the permit fees and other costs.”
ENDS. 10th January 2020. David Franks 07909 935979
Note for the Editor: the full text of the motion for debate at the meeting of the full Council at 6pm on Tuesday 21st January follows
Council 21st January 2020 : Council acknowledges that residents of Vauxhall Park & Wigmore suffer from inconsiderate parking by people employed at or near the airport and by passengers unwilling to pay car park charges.
Notes that the Council’s highways officers have carried out extensive consultation with Vauxhall Park & Wigmore residents on possible measures to reduce the damage to their quality of life due to this airport parking problem. Accepts that this problem is entirely due to airport operations and would not exist if London Luton Airport was not there
Considers that, since the parking problem is entirely caused by London Luton Airport, its customers and related employees, the airport should bear the whole and complete cost of any necessary measures introduced by the Council to reduce the damage to the quality of life of Vauxhall Park & Wigmore residents.
Requests the Chief Executive and other relevant Council officers to commence discussions with London Luton Airport Limited & London Luton Airport Operations Limited to secure their agreement to pay, in full, the costs of introducing and operating any parking regulation schemes, including costs which would otherwise be borne by the residents, designed to deal with the problem. Calls for updates on the progress of the discussions at each meeting of the full Council