Council deadlocked in Parkway parking cash wrangle

The authority has been accused of losing a vital source of income and pushing ahead with needless cuts as a result of the delay.
Before construction began at the site, the council sold public land to Parkway owners Standard Life Investments for the sum of £1 to build a car park on the basis that a £300,000 fee would be received each year in return.
In November the council admitted that under a complex agreement drawn up between the two, Standard Life could gain income generated at car parks elsewhere in Newbury should the takings increase over a certain amount.
The council was due to receive its first payment from SLI as part of the deal, £100,000 for part of the first year, but a request by the Newbury Weekly News for the council to reveal whether any payment has yet been received was refused.
This week, the shadow portfolio holder for finance, David Rendel (Lib Dem, Thatcham West), continued his running feud with the leader of the council Graham Jones (Con, Lambourn) over the issue.
He said that for every day the council did not hammer out an agreement with SLI the council was losing money and forcing itself to make possibly unnecessary cuts.
Mr Jones would only say: “I have met with Standard Life Investments. Discussions between West Berkshire Council and SLI are ongoing on a number of issues.”
The council refused to answer any further questions surrounding the negotiations and spokesman for the council, Keith Ulyatt, would only say: “Regarding the annual payments from Standard Life for car parking, that proposal is in place. Details of how those payments would be made are commercially confidential, as are details of other discussions we may be having with Standard Life.
“These elements that impact directly on our budget were correctly included in our budget papers in March. Financial transaction detail referred to above is commercially confidential.”
A statement released by Standard Life Investments said: “We are continuing our discussions with West Berkshire Council regarding the car park annual payment. These discussions are confidential and any subsequent decision regarding this payment will be agreed directly with the council.”
Last week West Berkshire Council announced a new raft of car parking charges to be introduced on May 21.
The council made a U-turn decision on plans to introduce Sunday and evening parking in Newbury, and will now bring the measures in despite announcing them, and then dropping them over the space of two days in September.
Mr Ulyatt said: “Regarding parking charges, we said we would not bring in the proposed changes until after John Lewis opened because we didn't want that to detract from the positive messages about the town that would, and did, surround the opening.”