Plans to overhaul Bedford Borough Council’s council tax reduction scheme have come under fire for placing new financial burdens on the Borough’s poorest residents after a councillor asked if increases in council tax would subsidise the town’s free parking scheme.
At last night’s Executive Meeting (Monday, 29 September), Green cllr Ben Foley (Greyfriars) warned that under the proposals, the most vulnerable households, including those living in “cramped” one-room flats, would face annual bills of around £235.
“Last week we heard at Housing Committee that when the local housing association recently surveyed residents in financial difficulty, almost half of them had been cutting down on washing to save money,” he said.
“So, my question is, what does the Conservative Executive of this council expect people to cut out to be able to afford the hundreds of pounds a year to pay council tax, that the council then uses to subsidise free car parking?”
Deputy mayor Jim Weir declined to answer directly, saying the issue would be debated later in the meeting.
Cllr Marc Frost (Conservative, Wixams and Wilstead), the executive member for finance, said the revised scheme had been moderated following criticism of an earlier version and benchmarked against neighbouring authorities.
“We have to accept that we have had a very generous scheme in the past,” he said. “Sadly, our finances don’t stretch to maintaining it as it is, and some changes need to be made.”
The executive agreed to put the scheme out for public consultation, but with a significant caveat: this decision will not be subject to the usual “call-in” process by scrutiny committees.
The council’s monitoring officer, Graham Watts, said any delay risked derailing the budget-setting timetable for 2026/27. “On those grounds, this decision will be exempt from call-in,” he confirmed.
Bedford mayor, Tom Wootton (Conservative), was not able to attend the meeting. But he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he is doing “everything he can” to keep free parking, but also that “everything is in the mix” as next year’s budget is developed.
“Free parking is popular with everyone apart from opposition councillors,” he said.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
