Council's legal battle with firm over Tesco car park was 'waste of taxpayers' money'
COUNCIL bosses have been accused of wasting taxpayers' money after it lost a legal battle against a parking firm.
Taxpayers will be left to foot an expected six-figure bill after East Riding Council took the firm to court, accusing it of misleading customers.
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ACTION: East Riding Council leader Stephen Parnaby led a court case against parking Control Ltd on behalf of local residents.
The council spent £41,000 on the trial at Hull Crown Court last year under unfair trading regulations.
However, a jury cleared UK Parking Control Ltd on seven charges of misleading customers over the way it managed the Tesco car park at the St Stephen's shopping centre in Hull.
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The company has now won its case at the Court of Appeal, where a single identical charge was quashed.
A spokesman for UK Parking Control said it was "regrettable" the council ever started its legal action.
He said: "We are obviously pleased with the result.
"However, it is regrettable that the case was ever brought, because it was clear we fully complied with the law and the British Parking Association's Code of Conduct and continue to do so.
"The council should have discussed this with us properly at the time and contacted the British Parking Association Council to verify that this was the case.
"Had it done so, a lot of taxpayers' money would have been saved."
The council's legal costs for the appeal hearing will now be added to the bill for the original case at Hull Crown Court.
The total cost has not yet been calculated but the Government will foot the bill using taxpayers' money.
The parking firm is expected to recover the majority of its legal costs from another national fund set aside by the Government.
Paul Bellotii, head of housing and public protection at East Riding Council, said the council took independent advice before starting legal action against the company.
He said: "UK Parking Control Ltd. successfully appealed its conviction, at Hull Crown Court in September last year and was awarded costs from the central fund, not the council.
Mr Bellotii said: "The council normally seeks compliance in the first instance from business operators but, where necessary, will take appropriate action.
"In this case, it secured national funding to pursue prosecution to address what it believed was wrongdoing by a parking control company."
Comments
by froggy39
Sunday, June 03 2012, 4:14PM
“I am a resident of Hull so Parnaby elected or not has no bearing on what my money gets wasted on but would somebody let me in on a secret. If Parnaby is so hated and despised by almost everyone who ever posts on these forums why the devil do you all keep votiing him in again at every election. Give the awful man his marching orders and get somebody who won't put himself first and maybe will work for his electors. Too much to ask for in East Yorkshire? Well, we are talking politicians here so maybe it is.”
by horbaczewski
Sunday, June 03 2012, 1:25PM
“@Astonomia, yes we mused the same musings as we sat in traffic for no apparent reason there yesterday!”
by AstonomiaSK
Sunday, June 03 2012, 1:01PM
“This is a bit rich, Parno complaing about parking fees & practices in Hull when his very own 'Parno Parkies, are shafting the residents of the East Riding with parking fees.
Whilst we are talking of Parno's Council contracts, only the ERYC could have found a company like Jackson Civil engineering to build phase 1 of Parnaby st. (castle Hill road improvements). Thousands of cones a 30mph limit, & endless disruption so 8 traffic islands out with a few men. Why on earth are they not doing ALL the work? If this was the highway agency the thing would be half finished by now.”
by arntdullinul
Sunday, June 03 2012, 11:30AM
“P'raps if the former East Riding Council Head of Legal Services a Ms Sue Lockwood aka Mrs Daryl Stephenson had not been paid off from the Public purse she could have given the advice free fer nowt. As it is just more of our hard earned cash for mi learned friends. P'raps the HDM could tell us the hourly rate that the £41k represented.”
by beverleybard
Sunday, June 03 2012, 11:29AM
“Another waste of tax-payers money, but who at the council will really care. It's long been an adage that it is easier to spend other peoples money than your own and this must be at the heart of council thinking!”
by horbaczewski
Saturday, June 02 2012, 8:05PM
“Well, if the greedy s o d s at ERYC didn't spend so much making dodgy deals, this wouldn't have happened.
How much longer do we have to tolerate Parnaby? Even his own party don't want him.”
by Defarge
Saturday, June 02 2012, 3:58PM
“Reported in today's Yorkshire Post:
Since 2009, the ERYC has been sitting on most of a £1.2m Government grant to tackle coastal erosion.
The Local Authority's feeble response in its attempt to justify using only 40 per cent of the grant is that it has 'helped or offered support to all households at imminent risk' and has given assurances that the remaining 60 percent of the fund will only be used to tackle coastal erosion. i doubt there are many residents in the East Riding - certainly not those watching the sea from their bedroom windows - who place much faith in County Hall's 'assurances'.
It seems not to occur to the ERYC that if it had used the funds over the past three years instead of retaining them in its bank account, there might be fewer residents who reach the 'at imminent risk' category.
But perhaps Mssrs. Parnaby & Co of County Hall are waiting until the waves reach Beverley before they decide to invest the money?”
by froggy39
Saturday, June 02 2012, 1:42PM
“@ defarge. Mr Young is probably taking idependant legal advice. I just hope his information is better than that given to ERYC over the car parking fiasco.”
by Defarge
Saturday, June 02 2012, 11:43AM
“Disappointingly, no further response as yet from Angus Young regarding the ERYC's highly paid but (apparently) ineffectual legal department?”
by IDoknowbest
Saturday, June 02 2012, 10:12AM
“A classic example of individuals from the East Riding poking their nose into Hull affairs and coming out looking stupid.
I for one shall, as a distraction to the idiots of the East Riding be celebrating Her Majesties Diamond Jubilee in Hull City centre where I shall park my car easily and safely.
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN”