An administrative mistake by North Somerset Council regarding public consultation on new parking fees has led to a High Court challenge calling for the charges to be overturned.
On June 1, the council introduced parking charges in three Clevedon town centre car parks following a public consultation. However, the consultation materials mistakenly provided the wrong reference number, causing responses to be misdirected. Local businessman Daniel Adams, owner of Stationery House on the Triangle, submitted two objections during the consultation, but the council recorded them as objections to separate on-street parking proposals elsewhere in town.
Representing himself in Bristol’s High Court on June 26, Adams stated the council failed to properly consider his objections at the time, arguing this error should invalidate the charges. North Somerset Council’s barrister, Timothy Baldwin, conceded the council breached its duty to carefully consider objections and expressed regret for the administrative slip. Nonetheless, he argued that the council complied with regulations and that Adams’s objections mirrored points raised by others unlikely to have altered the decision.
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Adams countered that his objections raised distinct concerns and contended it was improper for the court to guess whether the council would have changed its mind if errors had not occurred. The council’s plan to introduce parking charges across Clevedon, Nailsea, and Portishead aims to balance budgets and protect essential services, as highlighted by council cabinet member Mark Canniford.
Baldwin described the statutory consultation as a supplementary step following a broader strategy consultation before the charges were approved. Adams challenged the legality of the charges, noting funds raised are meant for reinvestment in car parks. Baldwin asserted the charges are not meant purely for revenue but to fund infrastructure and prevent subsidies from other budgets.
The case was heard by Mrs Justice Steyn DBE, renowned for presiding over the ‘Wagatha Christie’ libel trial. She has reserved judgment, with a written decision expected shortly.
This case is not the only legal dispute involving North Somerset Council’s parking charges. The council withdrew plans for on-street parking fees in Hill Road after threats of legal action from Clevedon Town Council. Council leader Mike Bell criticized the prospect of court battles between the councils as a “scandalous waste of public money.”