Free parking on Sunday rejected by Brighton and Hove councillors

A proposal to bring in free parking on Sundays in Brighton and Hove has been thrown out by councillors.

They looked at the idea after a petition presented to Brighton and Hove City Council by Liberal Democrat Jeremy Gale, who plans to stand in Hove in the local elections next year.

Mr Gale said that he was disappointed by the vote. Green and Labour members of the council’s Policy and Resources Committee voted together to reject the idea.

Conservative group leader Councillor Geoffrey Theobald said: “We want to address the image that Brighton has of ripping off motorists.”

He said that Brighton and Hove made more money from parking than any council outside London and more than many London boroughs.

Labour group leader Councillor Warren Morgan said that he didn’t want a bidding war to see who could offer the most cut-price parking in the year before an election.

And he didn’t want parts of Brighton and Hove being used as a de facto park and ride on Sundays.

Leader of the council Jason Kitcat said: “I wouldn’t want anyone to go away with the impression that Brighton and Hove wasn’t doing well.”

Councillor Kitcat, the Green group leader, said that Brighton and Hove was the top seaside destination in the country and eighth overall.

He added: “Brighton has more visitors than many London boroughs so I don’t think it’s a like-for-like comparison.”

The committee agreed that suggestions about changes to parking charges should be considered as part of the annual review later in the year.