Marvin Rees has made a U-turn over plans to scrap the first 30 minutes’ free parking and charge disabled residents for vehicle bays.
The mayor has accepted some opposition group amendments to his budget, as well as others that Mr Rees and Labour councillors voted against at a Bristol City Council meeting last week, including agreeing to fund repairs to Kingsweston Iron Bridge. At time of writing the revised budget papers were not yet published for next week’s second full council meeting, which was called when the mayor exercised his right to take five working days to reconsider his financial plans for 2022/23 and beyond after members made significant changes to his original proposals.
But a press release issued by the Labour administration on Wednesday (February 23) revealed he had embraced two Green amendments – retaining 30 minutes of free stays in residents’ parking zones, which the mayor’s initial budget sought to axe, hiring more traffic wardens and expanding the “school streets” programme, which ban vehicles at drop-off and pick-up times. Mr Rees has also accepted part of the Conservatives’ amendments which were voted down, although it appears funding to pay for them will come from a central pot and not from cuts to the mayor’s office or the council’s PR budget as proposed.
